DBZ Survival Skills 217
by Razamataz22
Summary: Heading to an island where the students of OSH are to survive a week without much supervision, what is it that will cause Gohan to do something that nobody thought possible of him.
1. Chapter 1

**The people have spoken so all shall be revealed. I am going to take the two most highly voted topics and roll them into one. Without further ado, let DBZ Survival Skills 217 begin!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

**...**

Gohan looked out of the window of the bus with a bored expression over his face. His classmates babbled away but he didn't pay much attention. They were travelling to a remote country town where they would spend a few days before taking a ferry to a nearby island where they would spend a further seven days surviving in the wilderness. Of course in this day and age, that meant that mobile phones and other electronic devices were not to be brought along for the journey. Many people had tried however but none of them had succeeded, all electrical equipment had been confiscated and left back in Satan City, much to the protest of a dozen whinny girls. Everyone was allowed to bring one object which they would need to survive but all the students were told to place it in the bus without anyone else witnessing what they had brought. That way, the students wouldn't be able to plan on who would bring tents and such to help other students.

"What's up cutie?" asked Erasa shifting from her seat to plant herself next to Gohan. There were no seat belts on the bus and it was relatively smooth going so there was no immediate danger in moving around.

"Not much," said Gohan turning to face her.

"Is that a new bracelet?" asked Erasa looking at the leather wrapping surrounding his wrist.

"Got it a few days ago," said Gohan lifting his hand to head height.

"Where did you get it?" asked Erasa admiring the accessory.

"Friend of the family gave it to me," said Gohan recalling the moment. His mother had wanted him to fit in better and as such had made Bulma make a device which suppresses ki. As such, the power Gohan now wielded was equivalent to the strength he had had when Vegeta had first made his appearance on Earth. He still had the power to blow up a small mountain but it was nothing compared to what he could actually do.

"It looks nice," said Erasa with a smile and Gohan smiled back albeit in not so much of a wide grin. She then began to talk about topics which Gohan really didn't care for and simply responded with a series of grunts and 'yes.' He didn't pay all too much attention as he began to recognise the area around them but he couldn't quite remember from where or when. The road curved slightly to accommodate the fact that part of the cliff they were driving along had fallen away years ago.

Videl had been watching Gohan out of the corner of her eye. She had been suspicious that he was hiding something but she had no proof to back up his theories. The bus trip would have been a perfect opportunity to ask him some questions but Erasa had had the same idea but for different reasons. She knew from personal experience that Erasa would not stop talking until she ran out of gossip topics of which there was never an end in sight.

"We're here," announced one of the two teachers who had accompanied the students on this journey. "Everyone please leave the bus in an orderly fashion." Hence to say that when you are confronting teenagers who have been isolated in a bus for several hours the last thing they are going to want to do is spend more time on the bus. Therefore, the doorway became a push and shove brawl as each individual tried to reach freedom first. While many were in pain, those who had waited behind patiently couldn't help but laugh at the predicament.

After much struggle, the class managed to find the freedom of fresh air, quite a reality check for those who had lived their entire lives in the city. "What is this smell?" asked one of the girls.

"That my friend is the smell of nature," said a woman stepping forward from a nearby cabin. The class turned to look at her; she had auburn brown hair and was wearing a green uniform. Gohan couldn't put his finger on it but she looked faintly familiar but he couldn't for the life of him recall where from. He figured after being in Satan City for a couple of weeks he could have easily mistook her for someone he had seen in the streets. "I am Sergeant Cornelia; I will be your survival guide and I welcome you to Augusta Village."

"A woman taking charge? This is my kind of place," said Videl inspired. Being a part of the police force, even though they were meant to treat men and women the same it was never the case. While it may have seemed like everything was fair from the outside, looking from the inside it was a totally different scene.

"While you are here you will do what I say at all times, failure to comprehend will result in severe punishment," Cornelia warned, glaring down the men who had mischievous grins plastered on their faces. "I will not tolerate any kind of lack of respect towards the people or the community. Yes you at the back," she said pointing to a black haired girl who had raised her hand.

"I'm just wondering, where's the nearest mall?" she asked.

"You will not find a mall or top brand convenient store anywhere within a hundred mile radius of where we are," said Cornelia with a blank expression. "You have two days to get used to living in a community you are unaccustomed with. On the third day you will be given five hundred zeni to which you will need to buy yourself rations which will help you survive a week on a deserted island."

"Five hundred zeni!" exclaimed a couple of the classmates. "That's hardly enough to buy food for a day let alone a week."

"What you buy is up to you, but I must insist that you buy something which will help you stay warm and be able to collect drinkable water. The crucial elements of survival are food, water and shelter. You've all brought an individual item to help you with your survival over the next week, let's see what you have brought."

With that Cornelia led the group around to the other side of the bus where there were three small children trying to break into the storage compartment. "Get away from there you brats!" shouted Cornelia threateningly. The children quickly got the message and ran as fast as their legs could take them.

"What was that about?" asked one of the teachers.

"There are a group of children in this village who run wild, they have no parents or no guardians," explained Cornelia. "They hide out in an abandoned property and we do not have the authority to take them away."

"So they're orphans?" asked Videl.

"Some of them, the others are children who wanted freedom and have run away from home, some of the children were even dumped there when their parents could no longer afford to keep them," said Cornelia bowing her head in shame. "Once we were able to get all of the children out of there and take them to an orphanage but they came back in a larger number. We would have taken them a long time but the house was bought and unless we get permission from the landowner we can't access their property out of fear of prosecution."

"Is there any way to stop them?" asked Sharpner. "What if they steal our stuff?"

"While they are on the property we have no authority to go in and do what is right," explained Cornelia. "However, when they leave the front gates it is a different situation in where we can legally capture them and take them somewhere safer."

"What if you were able to obtain a police permit?" asked Videl.

"The officers around here don't have the authority to do so, we'd need someone with a higher rank," said Cornelia.

"I might be able to help you then, we'll talk later," said Videl before blending in with the rest of the pack.

"Alright then," said Cornelia opening up the storage compartment of the bus. She pulled out a pink sleeping bag with floral patterns. "Who's is this?"

"Mine," said Erasa lifting her hand into the air before the sleeping bag was thrown into the air and landed awkwardly in her arms.

The next object pulled out was much smaller. "Who's lighter?" asked Cornelia holding the white object in the air.

"That's mine," said Sharpner before catching the object. He smiled as he played with it before he noticed Videl glaring daggers at him. "It's my dad's," he quickly explained since he was too young to be legally smoking.

Object after object came out of the bus including sleeping bags, tents and other random objects including one girl's lip balm. Cornelia's eyes focused sharply on the object she had grabbed hold of. Pulling it out the class seemed to gasp as the metal sword was removed from its sheath glinting in the sunlight. "Who does this belong to?" she asked coldly.

Much to the class' surprise, Gohan stepped forward. This was a shock due to the fact that here was the nerdy bookworm holding claim to a weapon capable of dealing great damage. "It's mine," he announced, his tone not shifting from his usual voice.

"Be careful kid," said Cornelia placing the blade back in the sheath before tossing it to Gohan who caught it with precision before slinging over his shoulder and strapping it on. He then turned back to his peers to see that they all had a stunned look on their faces.

"What?" he asked scratching the back of his head.

"Alright, that's the last of it, pair up with someone of the same gender and follow me to your new homes for the next couple of days," said Cornelia closing the storage compartment. As the group walked off, several pairs of eyes watched them from a safe distance.

...

**So it begins. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, over twenty reviews for a single chapter. Either I'm getting back to my prime or people are enjoying my work even more so. With your help, let's try to make this my most successful story to date, c'mon it's only another 380 reviews or so, not that much. (Nervous chuckle)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ.**

**...**

"Holy shit man you are insane," said Sharpner as he closed the door behind his and Gohan's cabin. For the time he had known him he had been a bookworm with a big stomach and that was about it. He would call the two of them acquaintances at best, supposing that word was in Sharpner's vocabulary. However, after the stunt with the sword he had had first claims on being his roommate, hoping that he could uncover a little behind the real Gohan. Normally he would leave the snooping to Erasa or Videl but since there was a potentially deadly weapon around he couldn't help himself. "Where did you get something like that?"

"A friend gave it to me to help me protect myself," said Gohan honestly undoing the buckle which held it to his torso before holding it in his hand. He recalled the days when he had had to use this in order to survive, finding out many years later that it had been a gift from Piccolo.

"Well didn't you say that you come from the mountains somewhere?" asked Sharpner vaguely recalling one of the many facts that Erasa had pried out of Gohan on the first day. "So your buddy gave you that so you could survive in the wilderness?"

"More or less," said Gohan with a shrug.

"Man with you on this camp it should be a breeze," said Sharpner as he claimed a bed as his own. "Since you've survived up in the mountains for so long living for a week on an island should be a piece of cake."

"I seem to step up to the occasion when I'm needed," said Gohan with a smirk recalling all of the tough battles he had fought. He tossed his sword onto his bed before grabbing an apple from the kitchen bench.

"I just never picked you as that sort of guy," said Sharpner staring at the ceiling.

"There are a lot of things about me you don't know," said Gohan with a sly smile before opening a nearby window. Without Sharpner watching he placed his arm out of the window and dropped the apple from his hand into the lap of a young girl who he had sensed earlier. Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, he closed the window once again as he turned his back as two girls peered through the window before running off.

"I don't really know what to say about you, you're just so..."

...

"...amazing," said Erasa as she recalled the day's events. "Who would have thought that Gohan would go and surprise us all like that?"

"I still don't like it," said Videl tossing her tent to the side of their room.

"Well he comes from the country so he probably has to defend himself somehow," suggested Erasa as she pried open her sleeping bag to find the small brown bear she had stuffed in there as well as the sleeping bag.

"But why would he bring a weapon for a mere survival trip?" questioned Videl.

"I don't know much about camping," said Erasa as she lay down on her bed, "But you need something to chop firewood with don't you?"

"I guess that's true," said Videl unnervingly.

"Also if we get attacked by something we need something to defend ourselves with."

"I get the picture Erasa but that doesn't mean I have to like it. If I had any authorisation I would apprehend him of that weapon and..."

...

"...I could slice up some serious shit with this," admired Sharpner picking up the blade. "It's a bit short but you could still do a crap load of damage with something like this." He had been inspecting the blade for a few minutes and had found that it was half a foot shorter than his arm.

"That's pretty much what it's designed for," said Gohan not really sure how to respond to Sharpner's comments. He didn't really care too much for the sword but it was the best piece of survival equipment he had around the house. He didn't need anything like a tent, after six months in the wilderness as a kid he had become adept at sleeping under the stars. If he needed heat he would make a fire, he still had enough energy to form basic ki blasts so it was nothing out of the ordinary although he would have to make it look like he was doing something normal. He would figure it out at the time.

"If you're able to swing this round like a madman, you should join one of the clubs," suggested Sharpner.

"I haven't really thought much about it," admitted Gohan.

"Well if you can wield this half as good as I think you can then you could probably easily make the kendo club or you could join the boxing club and fight with me," offered Sharpner. Not only was he a member of the boxing club, he was the school representative and part of that responsibility was recruiting new members.

"Well let's make a deal then," said Gohan getting an idea to get Sharpner off his back. "When we head to the island we'll have a round just you verse me. If you win, I'll join. If I win, I don't."

"Well this will give me a chance to see if you're actually worth joining or not. Fine if that's the case..."

...

"...I should go see Cornelia and get her to do something about it," stated Videl.

"Just give it up Videl," said Erasa as she prepared for bed. "If she wanted to do something beforehand she would have done it back when we were on the bus. Face it; until he does something wrong with it it's out of your hands."

"It's just so out of character for him," said Videl climbing under the blanket.

"Videl, we've known him for three weeks, maybe even less, but you already think you know everything about him. We only know what he's like at school plus the fact that he is smart, cute, has a large appetite, vanishes after school most days, he's shy and most importantly he's cute."

"I get the point Erasa," said Videl switching off the bedside lamp. "See you in the morning."

There was silence between them for a minute before Erasa spoke up in the darkness of the room while holding on to her bear tightly. "Videl," she said to which she heard a grunt to continue. "Do you think..."

...

"...We could invite him over?" asked the small girl with lavender hair hanging at shoulder height. In her hands she held the apple that Gohan had delivered her earlier that evening.

"He gave you some fruit and you want him to come here?" questioned a tall kid, clearly the leader of the gang.

"Well since he was being nice to me I thought it would be good if we were nice to him," said the girl looking away ashamed.

"Whatever way you look at it, he's older then us and probably wants to get us out of here as well, adults are all the same," said the leader turning his back on everyone else before beginning to walk off.

"Wait, was it the guy with the sword?" asked a nearby girl to which the lavender haired girl nodded in approval. The word 'sword' however was what caught the leader's attention.

"So this guy carries a sword?" he asked inquisitively.

"Yea, he got it off of the bus," stated the girl.

The leader was silent for a little while, deep in thought. "Alright, you two try to..."

...

"..Get him to get rid of that sword," said Cornelia to one of the two teachers present, the other one having fallen asleep in the chair they had been sitting in.

"It's surprising to say the least but if he brought it for survival purposes then I see no harm in him having the weapon," said the teacher with a shrug of the shoulders.

"It's just, he reminds me of a kid from years ago who was in the orphanage," started Cornelia trailing off.

"Well all of our documents show that every student in our class has at least one parent, so Gohan couldn't be the person you are thinking of," said the teacher in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Well when we caught all of the kids all those years ago, two of them got away, one of which just so happened to be a young kid who had a similar if not identical sword," said Cornelia deep in thought. "One of the things I'm worried about is if the kids start acting up they might try to steal the sword which makes the situation even more unstable."

"If only we could do something about those kids," said the teacher.

"That girl with the raven hair said she had a solution, what was her name?" asked Cornelia.

"Videl, she works with the police force in Satan City."

"Could you send her to me after breakfast tomorrow morning?"

"By all means," said the teacher standing up before nudging her partner awake. "We'll see you in the morning."

"Will do," said Cornelia as the two teachers, one of which was wondering what was going on, left her alone. Standing up from her desk, she walked to a window and looked out of it. No matter how much she tried to ignore the similarities, she couldn't help but think that the one that got away had finally returned.

...

**That was incredibly hard to write. Hope you enjoyed the different type of setting, don't expect too many more, I'm not sure if I have another one in me. Anyway, please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I just wanted to point out, while some of the original orphans found their way back, they are not the same. Gohan aged over time so you could safely assume that they did as well. After they felt ready to leave, they went off in search of fame and glory in the real world until there were no longer any original orphans. Hope this clears a few things up.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

**...**

Cornelia was busy reading through some documents when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," she called not taking her eyes off her work. The door creaked open and in came Videl who took a seat opposite Cornelia.

"The teachers said that you wanted to see me after breakfast," she said prompting Cornelia's attention.

"Ah yes, if I recall you briefly mentioned that you might have a solution to our village's child infestation," said Cornelia sternly.

"I don't really like the way you worded that," said Videl honestly under her breath. "I'm good friends with the chief of police in Satan City."

"How likely would it be that this chief would be able to write up a legal document allowing us to take the children to somewhere where they can grow up healthy and happy," said Cornelia changing her attitude towards the situation somewhat. Videl thought that it might have been due to the fact that she had overheard Videl's comment.

"If I got in contact with him directly I guess he could send it through by Thursday afternoon," said Videl with a shrug.

"Two days from now, the last day that you and your classmates will be here before I escort all of you to the island which you will be staying," said Cornelia deep in thought. "I would like to do this before we leave as to not allow the kids to run wild so we will have to infiltrate their hideout that night. Since you are in the police force I take it that you would be able to assist us in doing what is right?"

"Yes I shall," confirmed Videl. Cornelia stood up and brought a phone over and placed it in front of Videl.

"Take your time to explain the situation clearly," she said before walking out of the room. Videl was in a bit of a stupor for a minute before she started dialling up the Satan City police station knowing that this was going to take a while to explain.

...

"What are we meant to do?" complained Sharpner as he walked down the street with both his hands behind his head.

"There are no shops or anything," complained Erasa.

"It's not so bad," said Gohan as he walked past a nearby fruit merchant, handed her some money and took an apple.

"We're not all country bumpkins like you," said Sharpner. The three of them had been walking for the better part of an hour and were nearing the end of the village.

"I like the smell of this place though," said Erasa finding a positive. "I wonder if they have something that smells like this as perfume."

Gohan and Sharpner chuckled at Erasa's comment as a car pulled up beside them and Videl hopped out of the passenger seat. "Thanks for the lift," she said before the car took off further down the road. "The people here are so friendly," she said as she turned to her friends.

"Where were you?" asked Gohan curious tossing his apple up and down.

"I just had something to take care of," said Videl.

"Usually things you take care of don't take over an hour," said Sharpner suspiciously.

"What are you getting at Sharpner?" asked Videl.

Sharpner spun around so that he was facing Videl and pointed a finger accusingly. "You were seeing another man weren't you!"

The four of them walked down a small path into the surrounding forest, Sharpner nursing a large lump which had appeared on the side of his head. "What are we doing out here Gohan?" asked Erasa who had huddled up against Videl for protection.

"Where are you leading us?" asked Videl putting on her threatening voice which she had discovered had no effect on the Son boy for some strange reason.

"We're just going to feed the wildlife," said Gohan breaking the apple in his hand into several smaller pieces.

"Well we get to watch jungle boy in action," commented Sharpner with a chuckle as Gohan started placing the pieces of apple around spots on the ground. As he finished, he motioned to the group to remain silent. They watched as a small brown rabbit came out of its hole nearby and started sniffing at the fruit. Immediately Erasa's hands shot up to her heart as she wondered if this moment could get any cuter when a couple of birds fluttered down from a nearby tree and started pecking at another piece. "Well nerd boy you actually pulled through," said Sharpner with a relaxed sigh. Even though it wasn't really into this sort of thing he couldn't help but realise how tranquil it was.

"I just want to take them home," squealed Erasa in bliss as she reached down to grab the rabbit before it took off into the bushes much to her disappointment.

"You're scaring them Erasa, they're not used to humans," explained Gohan.

"Well in that case how did you know that they were here?" asked Videl. "I take it you weren't just coming to a random part of the forest hoping that you would run into some animals."

"Before my father passed away," began Gohan as a couple of squirrels came down from the trees to feast on the remains, "He taught me how to see the breath of all living creatures."

"Okay you lost me," admitted Sharpner.

"Every creature emits a certain energy pattern which makes them an individual," explained Gohan. "I was taught how to locate people and animals through this technique. I can even tell that there are three kids hiding in the bushes overhearing our conversation."

Sharpner, Erasa and Videl all looked confused for a moment before a rustling sound came from behind them as three small kids bolted away as fast as they could. "That was weird," said Videl being the first to break the silence which had followed.

"So you're like a magician?" asked Erasa trying to simplify what had just occurred.

"Not really," said Gohan nervously scratching the back of his neck. "My dad taught it to me so that when it was my turn to get some food I'd be able to track down the bigger animals."

"If I had that power I'd be able to know how many girls were in the change room at a time," said Sharpner speaking his perverted thoughts much to an irritable Videl.

"There's so much to you that we don't know," said Erasa looking directly at Gohan. "I mean, you've changed completely from what you are like at school."

"Big cities get me nervous," said Gohan with a chuckle. "I feel much more comfortable out here in the wilderness."

"Well at first I thought it would be bad out here but you've shown one of the good sides of nature," admitted Erasa.

"Well we haven't seen all that much," said Videl darkening the mood.

"C'mon Videl, lighten up," said Erasa trying to cheer up her best friend.

"You want to go see what the other students are doing?" asked Gohan.

"Why not, let's go see if the rest of them have adapted like we have," said Sharpner.

"Adapted, I didn't know that you knew when to apply that word," mocked Videl to which Sharpner brushed it off like many of the insults which went his way.

...

By day's end, the four of them were overlooking the cliff face towards the sunset. "Isn't this romantic," sighed Erasa tilting her head so that she was leaning on Gohan much to Videl's anger for some reason unknown to her.

"Isn't it just," said Sharpner trying to wrap his arm around Videl's shoulder only for her to slap it away.

"I know it's beautiful," shouted one of the teachers walking by, "But you need to be back in your cabins before lights out. We can't have you breaking curfew now."

"C'mon guys, rules are rules," said Videl leading the rest of them towards the cabins.

"Well I think we learnt something today," said Sharpner much to everyone's surprise. Usually he was the one who didn't pick up on anything. "Even out in the middle of nowhere, you can still have a good time if you've got your friends around you."

"That's so sweet," said Erasa.

"I never knew you could think like that," said Videl suspiciously.

"Yea, who knew," chuckled Sharpner as he tried to rub the pen marks he had written on the back of his hand.

"Alright see you two tomorrow," said Gohan as the boys and girls went their individual ways.

"Thanks for the line Gohan," said Sharpner as they were out of ear shot.

"No problem," said Gohan with a shrug. "I think you might have left an impression though."

"Well I've got to pull out the stops somewhere along the line," said Sharpner as he opened the door to their cabin. "I'll try to think of my own for tomorrow, who knows, this could be the beginning of a new Sharpner."

"We'll see," said Gohan as he closed the door behind him and made his way to the kitchen.

"Hey man," shouted Sharpner from the other side of the cabin grabbing Gohan's attention. "Where about is your blade?"

"Isn't it under the bed where I stashed it?" asked Gohan.

"Na man, it isn't there," said Sharpner to which Gohan frowned.

"Did you use the key to get in just before?" he asked.

"Now that I think about it I didn't," admitted Sharpner.

"Damn it," said Gohan with a sigh. "I know I locked it earlier so that means somebody's broken in and nicked it."

"Can't you do that magic psychic thing you did earlier with those animals?" asked Sharpner coming into the kitchen.

"It doesn't work like that," said Gohan with his fist against a wall. "Although I have a feeling I'll find it before the end of the night."

"What are you planning man? If you get caught I'm going to be in deep shit as well," said Sharpner.

"Simple," said Gohan turning to face Sharpner with a slightly unnerving smirk, "I never get caught."

...

**Well that was easy to predict wasn't it? Anyways, please review and I'll hopefully update at the start of next week but no guarantees.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Glad people are enjoying this. A quick remark that I have exams coming up soon and that I have to put everything on hold during that period since I don't want to fail. I'm sure everybody reading this understands. It simply means that in the coming weeks updates will be limited. Sorry but that's life for you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

**...**

Gohan waited patiently by his window, Sharpner by his side. "You sure you want to do this man?" asked the blonde haired boy. "I mean I know it's a sword but can't you just get another one?"

"I've had it for years," replied Gohan. "It means a lot to me."

"One of those sentimental objects...that's right isn't it?" asked Sharpner confused wondering if what he said was the right thing to say.

"Yea, that's right," said Gohan before he opened the window. "Nobody's around so I'll be fine."

"I don't know why you don't just use the front door," shrugged Sharpner as Gohan began to climb out the window.

"They've got cameras monitoring the door of every cabin," said Gohan not looking back. "If I stepped outside the front door they would know that I'm sneaking out."

"Well then how do you know that they're not watching this area?" asked Sharpner.

"I'll just have to take that chance," said Gohan as he jumped off of the window sill and onto the ground outside. "Remember the code?"

"Three light raps," said Sharpner from memory. "If I fall asleep before you get back though it's not my fault."

"Understood," said Gohan before Sharpner closed the window and Gohan began his stealth operation. Had the bracelet not been suppressing his powers he could move faster than the cameras would be able to pick up and easily make it to his destination without being noticed. However, if he tried to do so now then the cameras would pick up a blur and that could have negative results. Blending into the surroundings, Sharpner watched intently from the window until Gohan was out of sight before switching off the lights to prevent suspicion.

Gohan leapt up into the branches of a nearby tree and overlooked the vicinity. For a small village, it sure had a lot of security probably because of the number of children who could go walkabouts at any time of the night. He knew he could fly over but if he was spotted then even if he wasn't identified it could get ugly. Having random people flying around the sky, people would believe something as ridiculous as Cell had returned. In Gohan's opinion he had returned one too many times already but that saga was behind him now.

Sticking to the shadows, Gohan moved swiftly as to avoid detection before having to stop as a flashlight illuminated the spot in front of him. He was about to backtrack before another light appeared from behind him. The two guards rounded their respective corners and looked to one another before going their individual ways. Sighing in relief from atop a cabin's roof, Gohan changed tactic as he jumped from one cabin roof to the next, staying as low as possible while doing so. Eventually, he made his way to the edge of the area where the security seemed to drop immensely before he took off towards the mansion on top of the hill.

...

"What do you think of the new Gohan?" asked Erasa as she sat on top of her bed hugging her teddy. "After all, you were the one interrogating him the first couple of days he was at school."

"I don't know Erasa," said Videl she got under her blankets. "At school he seemed so conserved, as if he was hiding something but here he seems like an entirely different person."

"That's because we never gave him the chance to be himself," said Erasa. "Everyone was hounding him about being a bookworm and a nerd. Now we come out here and we get to see him for who he really is."

"But what I want to know is he still hiding something," said Videl. "Surely he's not just a nature boy who knows too much."

"Maybe he had a strict tutor or something like that," suggested Erasa.

"Or maybe his mum would sack him over the head with a frying pan if he got an answer wrong," joked Videl as the two of them shared a laugh.

...

Gohan leapt over the front gate to the mansion which had stood several metres high as if it was nothing more than a foot off the ground. Gracefully landing on the other side, he sensed that there were no scouts or anything like that surrounding the place. Walking forward, he stepped up to the front door and pushed it open, the rusty hinges squeaking as the door swung wide open. As soon as the door opened the top of it banged against some old cans held by strings, triggering an alarm of sorts.

Gohan stood there in a stupor momentarily before he heard the sound of a dozen feet stampeding his way. As he snapped out if it, he found himself being attacked in the doorway as children started to try and hit him with sticks. Acting on impulse, he leapt over the first group of attackers, doing a flip in the process in order to avoid a wild stab. He landed on his feet before flowing into a roll in order to avoid another swing before getting to his feet and lifting his wrist, blocking a metal pipe in the process. The resounding clang caused all attackers to stop in shock before a light burst open illuminating the area.

Gohan shielded his eyes as the light tried to infiltrate through his eyelids, temporarily blinding him as well as those around him. As his eyes opened fully, he found himself staring at least a dozen children surrounding him along with another twenty on the second story all armed with stones and other small objects. Even though he could easily take them, these were children he was facing.

He then turned his attention to his wrist to find that the bracelet had taken the blow of the pipe; several sparks flew from random parts of the contraption. The result of the blow was unknown as of yet but Gohan would have to tweak with it to find out but he felt awfully light headed for some reason.

"What do you want?" demanded one of the children, clearly the leader of the pack from the second story.

"I'm looking for something of mine," replied Gohan ignoring the threat of the children around him.

"Why do you think we have it?" asked the leader.

"Who else would take a sword?" asked Gohan in response.

"You're the sword guy?" said one of the kids circling him lowering his weapon. As one, the kids lowered their weapons as they realised that this was the guy that they had wanted to meet anyway. The kid who had been carrying the metal pipe bowed.

"I'm sorry for breaking your thing," he said apologetically. "Can it be fixed?"

Gohan poked it lightly only to receive a small jolt of electricity. "I don't have anything on me to fix it but it should be fine for the moment," said Gohan before turning his attention back to the leader. "Anyway do you have my sword?"

"Did anyone steal his sword?" asked the leader to which he received a flurry of negative responses. "Sorry but we don't have it."

"Damn it," said Gohan as he lifted his hand to his chin. "If it wasn't you guys, then who broke into my place."

His thought was interrupted as he felt a small tug on his shirt. Looking down, he found a young girl with lavender hair much like Trunk's. "Thank you for the food yesterday."

"It was nothing," said Gohan rubbing the girl's head much to her delight as she giggled. "I had to survive on my own for a long time so I know what it's like to find your own food. I used to have to hunt and sometimes steal just so I could go to bed with a full stomach every night."

"Did you use to be an orphan too?" asked another child as Gohan lifted a hand to his forehead before blinking rapidly several times.

"Not really, but once upon a time I did come to this place once and lived here for a few days," said Gohan. "Only today when I was walking through town did I recognise this place for what it was."

"Did...did you know Romu and Chico?" asked the leader causing everyone's eyes to shoot up to him.

"I think I remember them," said Gohan as he wiped some sweat from his brow and his eyelids became heavy. "They were the ones who found me here."

"Well they're..." he didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as Gohan collapsed on the ground unconscious.

...

Cornelia sauntered around her room, happy that she had sorted out several problems in a day. She ran her fingers across the cold metal of the short sword before putting it back in its sheath and placing it in the corner of her office. With a devilish smile, she closed the door behind her making sure to lock it with the master key.

...

**Hope you enjoyed. I'm trying to keep all of the chapters around this length in order to have a sense of similarity and so that people won't be disappointed when I post a 4000 word chapter then a 1200 word chapter. It's just not going to happen...yet.**

**Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's been a while but that is due to the fact that I have been without my laptop for a week and I have an exam coming up soon. However, I have found a bit of time in order to bring you the latest instalment. Questions will be answered...hopefully.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

**...**

A rattling on the door brought Sharpner to attention. He had been pacing up and down the kitchen for the past half hour. He had fallen asleep the previous night, as he had predicted he would, but when he had woken up there had still been no sign of Gohan. Quickly rushing to the bathroom and splashing some water in his face, he made his way to the front door before pulling it open just a crack. "Hello?" he said cautiously.

"What's going on Sharpner?" asked Videl trying to force her way in. Sharpner quickly gently pushed her back away from the door before stepping outside himself and locking the door behind him. He now found himself alone in the morning rays with one girl who looked at him with curiosity while another looked at him with seething anger. If there was one thing Videl didn't like it was people keeping secrets from her.

"Nothing Videl, nothing at all," said Sharpner as bullets of sweat began to run down from his brow.

"Where's Gohan?" asked Erasa hoping to see more of the cute nature boy in action.

"Homework!" exclaimed Sharpner saying the first thing that came into his mind.

"We're on camp," said Videl placing her fists on her hips.

"Umm...well you see...Gohan figured that we might need to write a report on our daily activities so he's getting a head start" said Sharpner trying to think up a convincing lie. Erasa seemed to buy it but Videl wasn't so easily persuaded.

"So he's in there writing now when we weren't allowed to bring anything other than one piece of equipment yet he just so happens to be using a pen and paper to write a report?" she questioned.

"Yeah...that's about right," said Sharpner swallowing deeply. He needed something to happen very soon in order to get these two girls off of his back. It just so happened that that moment came when two small children came running past as fast as their legs could take them while being chased by a chef wielding a broom in his hands.

"Get back you little thieves!" shouted the chef brandishing the weapon high in the sky. Videl and Erasa had turned around at this interruption but when they turned back Sharpner was nowhere to be seen, having already sprinted halfway towards the sanctuary of the kitchen.

...

Gohan blinked a couple of times as his eyes came back into focus. Lifting his arm, he rubbed his forehead several times with the tips of his fingers as a raging headache seared through his brain. "You're awake," said a voice nearby causing him to slowly turn his head to find several sets of eyes staring back at him.

"What happened?" he said groggily.

"You passed out on the floor last night," explained one of them. "We think it might be something to do with that thing on your arm." Gohan lifted said arm and inspected the bracelet. He recalled how he had blocked a blow from a steel pipe and while it may have simply glanced off any other part of the accessory it had hit the control panel causing a few wires to stick out of the once smooth shape.

"We've tried to take it off but we can't break it or take it off," said another kid holding up a pair of wire clippers.

"I don't think that's going to do it," said Gohan as he got into a sitting position and inspected the object around his wrist. "This bracelet is made from reinforced titanium alloy, it's not meant to break. As for taking it off, it's held together by tiny screws which hold the metal in place. My guess as to what has happened is that a small section has been struck which has caused the wiring to malfunction."

"Sorry," said the boy from yesterday who had wielded the pipe.

"It's okay," said Gohan ruffling the boy's hair. "I'll fix it when I get home."

"We just got some food," said a young boy proudly. "Do you want some?" Gohan's answer came not from his mouth but from a loud growl from his stomach which caused many of the children to laugh.

...

Gohan had been led around the mansion for some time, all the while learning the children's names and trivial things like how old they were. He had found that they seemed to wrestle for possession of his hands in order to drag him to the next room. They had eaten breakfast in a respectable manor but something didn't seem right for Gohan, he had only had half a loaf of bread. While this had seemed a lot to the kids it was nothing in comparison to the amount of food he usually ate on occasions.

"So how do you know Romu and Chico?" asked the leader of the group who Gohan had learnt his name as Marc.

"I haven't seen them in a long time," said Gohan deep in thought. "From memory they had found me on a beach and nursed me back to health much like what you guys did last night." This comment sent excited whispers from one person to the next as they bragged about how they had done their part to help Gohan.

"They own this place now," explained Marc as he led Gohan personally to a small office like room while the others (reluctantly) waited outside the door.

"Really, wow they're only a couple of years older than me and they already own a house," exclaimed Gohan.

"They came around recently," said Marc as he took a seat on top of a desk. "Every time they come, though, they give the same message. It goes something like, 'This house will always welcome those who are young at heart but will not prevent those who want to grow up from leaving.' I can't remember it much more than that but I don't really get what they are trying to say."

"I was with them when they were taken away," said Gohan recollecting on memories long since past. "If they are anything now like what they were when they were younger, I reckon what they are trying to say is that while being a kid is fun you can only be one for so long. You know eventually you'll have to grow up."

"I know that," said Marc in defeat. "I'm the oldest one here, I feel like everyone is my responsibility."

"Just by acknowledging that you've shown that you are more mature for your age," praised Gohan. "I think the idea behind what is going on here is that Romu and Chico want the kids to decide when they want to grow up and not be forced into a situation like they did many years ago."

"I think that makes sense," said Marc trying to think it over.

"Anyway, I need to go find my sword," said Gohan before a shout of 'NO' erupted from the other side of the door as many children who had been eavesdropping burst through.

"You can't leave," said Katie who rushed up and wrapped her arms around Gohan's leg.

"I have to go," said Gohan trying to fend himself from the swarm of children who were trying to cling to his body.

"Can you at least play a game with us before you go?" asked Bianca with puppy dog eyes. While Gohan had had experience in resisting the puppy dog look of one or two children, in the case of Trunks and Goten, he was not prepared for two dozen beady eyes to look up at him pleadingly.

"Alright then," said Gohan in defeat as the children squealed in joy.

"Let's play hide and seek!" shouted Peter before all of the children ran out of the room leaving Gohan dumbstruck.

"What just happened?" he asked looking at Marc.

"They've gone to hide, now go and seek them," he said pointing at the door. Gohan sighed and was about to walk through before he was interrupted by Marc once again. "Not until you count to twenty!"

Gohan put his arm against the wall before resting his eyes upon it. "One...Two...Three...

...

Gohan walked through the crowded streets. Every now and again he would encounter one of his classmates who would divert him into idle chitchat. It would be a blonde haired teenager however who would throw him completely off balance as she and her two friends walked up to him. "How did your report thingy go?" asked Erasa.

"My what now?" asked Gohan before looking between Videl and Sharpner to see Videl staring her usual daggers while Sharpner seemed to be urging him to play along. Of course, Gohan being the honest bloke that he is answered not the way Sharpner had hoped. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Oh well then," said Erasa shrugging it off. "Let's go have a look through some shops, are you two coming?" she asked turning behind her to where Videl and Sharpner should have been. However these positions were vacant due to the fact that Sharpner was currently running for his life from an enraged Videl who now wished not only to know the truth but to beat it out of him.

...

**Hope you enjoyed, I'll hopefully have another update up soon. Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Good to see what the people who reviewed thought of the chapter, sadly I have no idea what the rest of you guys thought. Oh well, I hope you'll be expressing what you want to say at the end of this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

**...**

Gohan walked down the pathway with Erasa, Videl and Sharpner having run away for conflicting reasons. Gohan had been experimenting as to how much power he was able to access now that his wristband had been damaged. When measuring his own power level he found that it was similar to that of Videl's only a little bit higher. Plainly put, he wouldn't be able to do anything high powered. It didn't mean that he couldn't do simple things like small Ki blasts; it just meant that the strength behind them was going to be dismal at best.

"You know it's my birthday today," said Erasa striking up a conversation.

"Really," said Gohan looking at the blonde haired girl. "Why didn't you mention it earlier?"

"I was going to celebrate it when we got back to the city," she said honestly. "After all, there's no where we can really go to party around here."

"That's true I guess," said Gohan rubbing the back of his neck. "But isn't just being around your friends good enough?"

"In a way, but everyone's too focused on this camp thingy to work about me. Apart from Videl and Sharpner I think you're the only one that knows."

"Thanks for that," said Gohan causing Erasa to smile before she walked over to the side of the road.

"Isn't that cute," said Erasa looking at some trinkets hanging on the inside of a shop window as Gohan stopped beside her. "I wish I had some money on me." Gohan followed her gaze to see her pointing at a pink butterfly pendant on a silver chain necklace. The wings were made of coloured glass which created a pretty image when the sun shined on them. The rest of the body and the antenna were made of silver. Gohan looked to see that the price tag didn't display that high of a figure but without any money, considering what it was made of, he wouldn't be able to do anything. In his distraction however he failed to notice the presence of a small kid sneaking up on him.

"What have you stolen you little brat!" shouted a nearby shopkeeper seeing the child taking thief like silent steps. "I'll teach you and the rest of you rascals a lesson!" the shopkeeper said lifting a nearby broom high into the air. The kid bolted before leaping onto Gohan for safety knocking him to the ground, the result being Gohan flat on his back with the child curled around his chest. Gohan blinked a few times trying to figure out what happened as he saw the shopkeeper stalking towards them with burning fire in his eyes as he lifted his weapon once again. As it descended, Gohan quickly rolled over on to his hands and knees as to not crush the child clinging to him before taking the broom hard on the back.

"Gohan!" shouted Erasa having witnessed her friend being attacked but wasn't mentally strong enough to move from her spot, frozen in shock. Gohan winced in pain as the wooden weapon hit him hard. It was not as much pain as a regular person would take, due to the fact that Saiyan's, even half Saiyan's, had naturally stronger muscles and bone structure meaning they could absorb more pain.

"He's my brother!" shouted Gohan over his shoulder towards the shopkeeper and the crowd which had accumulated. Immediately, the man blurted out a dozen apologies believing the kid was one of those who had stolen from his fruit store recently. Gohan got to his feet as Goten adjusted himself so that he was holding onto Gohan's shoulders while his chin rested on the top of Gohan's arm. "Its fine," said Gohan waving it off before drawing his attention back to his brother, effectively dismissing the crowd. "What are you doing here squirt?"

"I was bored so I came to see you," said Goten as he dropped from Gohan's shoulders only to be picked up into a vicious bear hug from Erasa.

"He's so cute!" she cooed as she rocked from side to side with the boy in her arms.

"I think you're suffocating him," said Gohan breaking the girl's iron grip so that his brother could taste fresh air once more. "You alright?"

"I'm fine confirmed Gohan, thanks Gohan that man was scary," said Goten as he got his breath back.

"I heard what happened," said Videl as she and Sharpner rushed onto the scene, albeit the later was much worse for wear. "Are you alright Gohan?"

"I'm fine now," said Gohan with a cheeky smile.

"My brother's the strongest person in the world, there's no way something like that would have hurt him," boasted Goten.

"Actually it hurt a fair bit," admitted Gohan. Goten looked up at Gohan who quickly shot him a keep quiet look.

"I wish I had an older brother to look up to like that when I was younger," said Sharpner. Videl couldn't help but have the same feeling. When her mother had passed away, Hercule was the only person she could truly look up to. Then he became the champion and defeated Cell, and soon she found that she wasn't the only one looking up to him, she had the whole world joining her. While he still acted like a father when they were alone, whenever they were in public she could hear people say how lucky she was to have a father like Hercule and would watch as people would rush up to him to get an autograph. Slowly, father daughter time drifted into smaller and smaller intervals as he travelled around more often on tours and such. Thus, Videl had learnt to cope on her own and she soon grew to believe that the only person she could truly trust was herself and her friends which weren't her friends because of her title as the daughter of the world's saviour. Then there were the feelings which her father had forced out of her life. Romance.

She was no different to any girl in her year in that they would like to go out on dates to either the movies or somewhere for a bite to eat, something normal. However, not only was there the fact in order to prove themselves before her father they needed to defeat him in a fight, a feat many thought impossible, she wanted them to treat her like a girlfriend and not a trophy. She knew many of the guys who had asked her out on a date before only wanted to do so in order to brag that they were the boyfriend of the one and only Videl Satan. There was Sharpner, but she believed that they had a one sided relationship and while Videl saw them as friends she wanted to keep it like that. Then there was Gohan.

At first she had been suspicious of Gohan when he had come to the school. It was obvious to tell that he was hiding something but after seeing him so comfortable out here in the countryside she had secretly taken a shining to him, although she would never admit it. After witnessing the shy, weak teenager in their class turn into someone who was willing to put their body on the line in order to protect his brother was something Videl admired. Most of the guys in her class would have allowed the kid to be hit before telling them to suck it up, while they may have wanted to do what Gohan had done they were too arrogant and didn't want to ruin their image. But Gohan wasn't like that.

"You coming Vi," said Erasa from a small distance away before Videl realised that she had been so deep in thought that she hadn't realised her friends had started walking without her. Quickly she caught up before Gohan and Goten split up from the group, blending their way into a crowd.

"Goten, there's something I want you to do for me," instructed Gohan as he whispered into Goten's ear. Knowing what he needed to do, Goten saluted his brother like a soldier would a commander before sprinting off into the forest and towards their home. Gohan soon caught up to his friends who asked him where Goten had run off to. "He's heading home before mum freaks out," he said with a chuckle causing the other three to chuckle alongside him.

...

"He said he would be back soon," pouted Erasa as she looked at the setting sun alongside Videl and Sharpner.

"Well he said that he had something to do," said Sharpner.

"I don't know why, but his brother looked very familiar for some reason," said Videl who stood in the middle between them with Erasa on her right closest to town and Sharpner on her left.

"He's probably like mountain boy, I doubt he's even been to the city before," said Sharpner not knowing that Goten visited Capsule Corps regularly in order to hang out with Trunks.

"Hey guys, I'm back," shouted Gohan as he ran up to them, a small package in his hand.

"What you get?" asked Sharpner.

"Where did you get any money from?" asked Videl curiously.

"I had my brother run home and get me some," answered Gohan sheepishly. "Our house isn't too far from," here he explained. In all honesty his house was several dozen miles but the speed that Goten could travel meant he would have gotten home and back within half an hour. He had instructed Goten to return with the money later on to avoid suspicion.

"So what's in the bag?" asked Erasa walking up to greet him while Videl and Sharpner hung near the railing.

"Close your eyes," instructed Gohan. Erasa put on a cheeky smile before doing as she was told. Gohan then took the object out of the bag before putting it around Erasa's neck before he said that she could open her eyes. Erasa's eyes fluttered open before she looked down to find the butterfly pendant she had been eyeing off earlier hanging safely around her neck.

"Oh my gosh," she said astounded as she reached up to touch it in order to see whether or not it was real. Videl and Sharpner had walked around them to see what Gohan had gotten her. From their view with the setting sun behind the two of them made the pendant sparkle brightly.

"Happy birthday," said Gohan with a smile spread across his lips.

"Thank you so much," said Erasa before looking up into Gohan's eyes. "Now I want you to close your eyes."

Unsure of what was going on, Gohan closed his eyes as Erasa got on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Gohan's neck before gently planting her lips upon his. Gohan's eyes shot wide open as he realised just what had happened yet he made no move to break off the embrace, nor did he do anything to further the experience. Erasa broke off the kiss a couple of seconds after initial contact but for Gohan it had seemed like minutes had passed as they stared at one another for half a minute, Erasa happily while Gohan was in complete shock.

Gohan turned his head to the other two hoping they would help tell him what had just happened. Sharpner didn't help as he just smiled cunningly with his arms crossed over his chest but Videl wasn't there as she had run off towards the cabins. Videl didn't know why she was running, or why watching those two kiss had hurt her so much inside. She also didn't know why tears were streaming down her cheeks as she ran.

...

**Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for the reviews and I'll just clear up one thing, if I had had Goten destroy Gohan's ki restricting wristband, then events later down the track won't be as fun. I'm sure you'll understand when the time comes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

...

"Tomorrow will be the day I rid this town of these brats," said Cornelia sternly as she paced through her office, unaware of the two children peering through the window. "Once they're gone I can focus more on trying to get everything back in order." The two children watched as Cornelia picked up Gohan's blade and they instantly realised what it was and took off quickly, Cornelia not even realising that they had even been there. Cornelia then placed the blade down and went through the video she had been given only half an hour ago. The video had shown the one called Gohan entering his cabin last night but never exiting it only for people to have seen him in the street today. This meant that he had snuck out and it could give Cornelia an excuse to prevent him from going with them to the island. A vicious smirk crept across her lips.

"Come tomorrow, everything's going to be..."

...

"...okay," said Erasa comforting her friend as best she could. When she had gotten home she had found Videl crying her eyes out with her face buried into her pillow, the rest of her body buried beneath a blanket. Having never seen her friend in such a state, Erasa had simply sat on her bed beside Videl and gently stroked her hair, calming the Satan girl somewhat.

"I don't know why it hurts so much," said Videl through the crying, causing Erasa's strokes to stop momentarily.

"When did it start hurting?" asked Erasa. She knew that this pain wasn't physical or in the form of a virus otherwise Videl would have gone to see a doctor of some sort.

"I don't want to talk about it," said Videl trying to create the emotional barrier she had done so long ago but it was weak and fragile as it broke as Erasa started stroking Videl's hair again.

"If you don't want to talk about it its fine," said Erasa before she stood up and started moving the gear in between the two beds into another room.

"What are you doing?" asked Videl as Erasa pulled her bed across the room until it was touching Videl's.

"I'm going to sleep with you tonight," said Erasa childlike as she jumped onto her bed.

"You don't have to do this Erasa," said Videl to no avail as Erasa climbed underneath her blanket and snuggled up beside her.

"Look Videl, it doesn't matter why you are hurting, what matters is that I'm your friend and I'll do everything I can in order to make it better," said Erasa with a stern look as if she had just given out a command. Little did she know that she was the reason as to why Videl was crying that night. Erasa pushed her arm in between Videl and the mattress that she was laying on and wrapped her friend in a comforting hug.

"Thank you," said Videl in little more than a whisper as she rested her head on Erasa's shoulder.

"No problem Videl," said Erasa with a smile which brought confidence to Videl, enough confidence to reveal her emotions to her best friend.

"I think I should tell you..."

...

"...that you are one sly dog," said Sharpner patting Gohan on the back as he had a small amount of food for dinner. For some reason he didn't feel much like eating that night.

"Could you please explain to me what happened," begged Gohan in between mouthfuls. His head was still in confusion as to why Videl had ran away like she had.

"Look man," said Sharpner honestly. "While it may look like I know about what goes on in a girl's mind I couldn't be farther away. If I was to have a guess, I'd say that she was upset because Erasa kissed you. But if that was the case then that would mean you have successfully done what no man has done before and captured the heart of Videl Satan!"

This statement however caused Gohan's current mouthful to go flying across the table as he realised what Sharpner had just suggested. "There's no way that she likes me," he said bluntly. "She spent the first week trying to interrogate me."

"She does that with everyone, although she did do it to you a lot longer than most new kids," admitted Sharpner.

"That was because I wasn't giving her the answers that she wanted," said Gohan.

"Maybe that's why," said Sharpner confusing Gohan somewhat.

"What's why?" asked Gohan.

"Maybe she saw you as a challenge and because she spent more time trying to figure you out she began to find you more attractive," explained Sharpner.

"Liking people doesn't work in that way," said Gohan trying to make some sort of sense out of the situation.

"But we're not talking about liking people, we're going one step up to the love department," said Sharpner.

"I thought you loved Videl," said Gohan trying to take the conversation away from its current position.

"Yes, even though she beats the stuffing out of me every time I try to hook up with her I still love her all the same," said Sharpner romantically. "However, even though I continue to try I know that unless she changes dramatically she will never fall for someone like me. I value my friends' happiness and as such I will make sure that both you and Videl are happy together."

"You make it seem as if we are already together," pouted Gohan before the two were disrupted by a rap on the window. The two turned their heads to see a couple of young kids waving at them. Instantly, Sharpner opened the window and helped the two kids into the room. "Katie, Peter, what's going on?" asked Gohan.

"These two of the kids which looked after you," said Sharpner pointing at the two kids half his height to which Gohan nodded.

"We've been spying on the mean old lady," said Katie with a huff.

"She said that she was going to get rid of us tomorrow," said Peter.

"So long as your house then it's alright?" asked Gohan to which the two kids nodded.

"Although didn't Cornelia talk to Videl the first day that we got here?" mentioned Sharpner. "Could she have asked Videl to get some help from the Satan City police force?"

"I guess it's possible but we shouldn't be pointing fingers," said Gohan. "You guys head home and if it looks like something's going to happen we'll come help you."

"Alright," said the two kids as they jumped on the kitchen bench and jumped outside and headed towards their house.

"Wait what do you mean by 'we?'" asked Sharpner.

"You're helping too now," said Gohan. "You're not going to stand around as they all get dragged away."

"I guess not," said Sharpner unsure of what was really going on. "I mean if I was them I wouldn't want to get taken away."

"Well we'll need to get the whole story before we do anything," said Gohan.

Before they could say anything else, Katie popped her head back through the open window. "We forgot to tell you, the mean lady has your sword," she said in a whisper as if it was top secret information.

"Really? Thanks," said Gohan gratefully before Katie ran off again.

"Well that doesn't make getting it any easier," said Sharpner. "Now we know that your sweet sword's being guarded by the leader of this place means that it isn't going to be easy getting into. The good thing is that she probably doesn't know that you know that she has it."

"But still, that means at some stage I'm going to have to break in in order to get it," said Gohan thinking this through. "That also means that she needs to be out of her house when I do so."

"So I guess that means we're going to have to wing it tomorrow," said Sharpner with a smile. Things like this always got him excited for some reason. "I'm just going to have to think it through before I decide whether or not to help you tomorrow with the kiddie problem."

"Alright man," said Gohan as he put his leftovers in the fridge and stretched his back. "I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the..."

...

"...morning is when you have to make a new first impression," said Erasa trying to give Videl some pointers.

"I'm not sure about this Erasa," said Videl uneasily. "I don't want to pretend to be someone I'm not."

"We'll you've got to do something to make Gohan notice you," said Erasa. She had spent the last half an hour listening to Videl tell her how she had felt when she had seen Erasa locking lips with Gohan and Erasa had instantly recognised it for what it was. She had already apologized as much as she could and Videl had realised that there was no harmful intention intended. Erasa now however wanted to make sure that by the end of tomorrow Gohan felt the same was about Videl as she did for him.

"We'll just play it by ear," said Videl getting herself comfortable as Erasa cuddled up beside her as if she was a giant plush toy.

"Alright then Videl, we'll do this your way but when we leave the cabin tomorrow morning you're going to look a different girl," said Erasa proudly.

"How are you going to do that?" asked Videl.

"I have my ways," said Erasa with a smirk before she switched off the light, covering the two of them in darkness.

...

**Hope you enjoyed, hopefully I'll be updating at a frequent rate for the next couple of months. Please review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all for the reviews. I will mention though that it was brought to my attention that the way Videl acted in that situation may not have been how she would have acted. The fact is that one has to imagine how she would react in the situation as it never happened in the actual story (at least not to my memory). Hope that cleared that little issue up.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

**...**

"Yay, we get to go shopping today!" squealed Erasa as she leapt around the other three who simply walked towards the cafeteria for breakfast.

"Calm down Erasa, it's only 500 zeni and it's got to help us survive over the next week," said Sharpner being relatively settled on this topic. He had already prepared heat which was one of the major things needed to survive so he was willing to spend his money on a bit of solid food before adjusting to whatever it was that he could find in the wilderness. Of course he would have nature boy with him so he wasn't overly worried about food collection.

"I forgot about that, I was going to get some earrings to go with this necklace but I guess I can get them back in the city," she said with a smile. "Well I'll need some shampoo, some body spray..."

"I think you need to be a bit more serious than that," commented Gohan with a chuckle before turning his attention to Videl who was standing near him. "You look different Videl, did you do something with your hair?"

Videl looked up at him with an innocent smile. In all reality she had done very little, Erasa had simply used anything and everything available in their cabin as a tool in an overnight makeover session. Of course, without such beauty essentials it was hard to get major visual differences in anything other than hair so that was where the main focus was. Erasa had used a pair of scissors that she had found and cut Videl's hair short, keeping her rough image intact while giving it a little more flair than the usual ponytails. There was also a fresh fragrance surrounding her which Erasa had created by crushing up a bunch of flower petals and letting them sit in a bowl of water before lowering the back of Videl's head within. It wasn't permanent but it did give off a nice aroma.

"You noticed," she said with a tilt of the head with her smile spread across her face.

"You also seem to be acting different, are you sick?" asked Gohan placing his hand upon her forehead.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," said Videl dropping the cute girl act.

"What are you doing girl?" whispered Erasa as she closed the gap in between them.

"I can't faking it like that Erasa, it's killing me," whispered Videl back.

"You haven't even been like that for a minute," retorted Erasa.

"It's still too long," said Videl.

"Who knows, maybe this will turn into one of those movies where he ends up liking you for who you are," said Erasa.

"Please Erasa, fairytales like that don't come true in real life," said Videl leaning away from Erasa but losing her balance slightly and falling into the arms of Gohan who caught her as she fell.

"Are you alright Videl?" he asked concerned. "If you're not feeling well I can take you back to your cabin."

"I'm fine," said Videl not willing to look up at Gohan in case he noticed the slight blush which had crept over her cheeks. Erasa however did notice and had to do her best in order not to shout it out to all who could hear her. Sharpner also noticed the slight difference in colour but made no inclination that he had seen it; he didn't want to ruin any possible chance that Gohan had with Videl.

The rest of the walk to the cafeteria went without any major hitch as Erasa began to babble on about random junk she didn't need for the excursion. When they entered, the room was filled with the excited buzz of a few dozen students. Since this was the last day they were spending in the seaside village, many people were excited about going from civilization, to semi civilization, to no civilization. One of the girls was also curious as to what the area would smell like since they had been attacked by such a radical change when they had come to the coastal town. Sharpner, Erasa, Videl and Gohan sat down at their own table with sufficient amounts of food at the table, yet Erasa noticed a slight change in appetite.

"You only have half a loaf of bread today Gohan," she stated staring at what would seem to a normal person as an insane amount for breakfast. For these four however the meal appeared insufficient.

"I'm not feeling that hungry," he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Are you sure that you aren't the one who is sick?" said Videl leaning closer to him as she touched his forehead.

"I'm fine Videl, don't worry about me," he said with a chuckle. Videl smiled but instead of pulling her torso too far away from him, she shifted her lower half so that now she was sitting next to Gohan. Erasa and Sharpner who were on the other side of the table looked at one another with an identical look which said more than Erasa possibly could.

"Alright listen up," shouted Cornelia gathering everyone's attention. By this time Gohan had finished his meal as had the other three. "Table by table you are going to come up and I will give you your spending money for the day. Then at sunrise tomorrow morning I want to see you on the jetty where there will be three ferries waiting. Since we have a relatively small number we will only to take one ferry for the voyage. However, if you are not there in the morning, you miss out. If you think that's bad then tough luck."

This of course created a general ruckus as people wondered how they were going to be able to make it to the jetty before sunrise when they didn't have anything like alarm clocks with them. Group by group, people went up and accepted their money before going outside to go on what would possibly be their smallest shopping spree ever. It was just by coincidence, that the final table to go up was the one containing Videl, Erasa, Sharpner and Gohan.

"Here you go," said Cornelia handing the money.

"Thank you," said Erasa cheerfully as she took the small wad of cash.

"Here you go," repeated Cornelia passing the next lot of money to Sharpner.

"Cheers for that," he replied before stepping over to where Erasa was waiting nearby.

"Ah Videl," said Cornelia seeing the next person in front of her. "Is everything prepared for tonight?"

"I should be receiving the confirmation slip within the next few hours," said Videl.

"What's this about?" asked Erasa from the sidelines.

"We've gotten some help from the Satan City police force to help the orphaned children here to be safely relocated to a new home," said Cornelia with a smile, although the smile was rather menacing. "Once we get this docket we will be allowed on the property to do so as we wish. By tomorrow morning, all of the kids will be on their way to a better place."

Sharpner and Gohan had remained silent during this exchange but the expression on their faces was one which oozed with seething anger. Gohan more so than Sharpner since he had spent more time with the kids. They looked at one another and composed themselves somewhat, they would figure out what to do later.

"Here's your money, and I'll see you later this evening," said Cornelia passing the money to Videl.

"Thank you," said Videl with a slight bow before moving to where Sharpner and Erasa were.

Gohan stepped forward to be in front of Cornelia who simply stared at him. "Aren't I getting any money?" he asked.

"You're not getting any money, because you aren't going," stated Cornelia. This of course created flustered responses from the four of them plus the teachers standing nearby but Cornelia raised her hand for silence. "We've retrieved video footage of you returning from your cabin last night but there is no footage of you ever leaving the cabin in the morning. It is thus clear to deduce that you snuck out during the night and didn't return."

"Is this true Gohan?" asked one of the teachers. Gohan's head dropped as a response, too ashamed to answer them outright. "I never thought I'd see the day," he said in disappointment.

"You will be escorted back to Satan City tomorrow, I hope you will have learnt your lesson about obeying social rules," announced Cornelia. Gohan looked up at her with burning hatred in his eyes.

"Gohan," said Videl with worry in her voice but he ignored her as he walked towards the exit, slamming the door with such ferocity that the wooden boards splintered slightly.

...

**Gohan's more than a little angry. How will this develop? Please review and find out soon.**


	9. Chapter 9

**The amount of bloodlust my reviewers have is incredible. People want to see warpaths, calling Chichi in as reinforcements, and more or less some good old fashioned slashing. However, if I were to do something along those lines this story would become a lot shorter than I had initially planned. I've got something else in mind.**

**As for the amount of time spent on this chapter, I'm sorry. I've recently started a new job in my uni break and have had very little time to sit down and type.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

**...**

"That was really harsh what Cornelia did to Gohan," muttered Erasa as she and Videl walked down the street.

"Well he did break the rules," said Videl weakly. Sure he might have snuck out but he was never given a chance to explain why he had done so in the first place. One thing which Videl knew about Gohan was that he never did something without a reason. "He seemed to be the one most comfortable with this trip in the first place and now he's going to miss out."

"I wonder what kind of animals he would have been able to find," said Erasa recalling how Gohan had lead the two of them and Sharpner into the woods to feed the animals. "I wonder where he is now?"

"He could be anywhere, I wonder if Sharpner is having any luck finding him?" said Videl to herself more than Erasa.

"Gohan could probably be using that sensing thing that he does to make sure he knows where we are and how to avoid us," suggested Erasa keeping a steady mind on the topic.

"That just makes it all the more harder," sighed Videl.

"This is where you need to make your appearance and help him cheer up, tell him that you'll talk to Cornelia and in exchange for this thing you're going to do tonight that you allow him to come along," said Erasa.

"That's a great idea Erasa," shouted Videl, her heart rate jumping slightly. "Come on, let's try and find him."

"Where do we start?" asked Erasa.

"We'll try the forest, maybe he's gone to be alone with the animals." Erasa nodded and the two of them began to rush off towards where Gohan had taken them only a couple of days prior.

...

Sharpner knocked on the large wooden door and waited patiently for a reply. It was only a few seconds later when a small latch opened up to reveal a small pair of eyes staring at him. "What do you want?" asked a petite voice from inside the door.

"I'm looking for my buddy Gohan, is he in here?" asked Sharpner politely.

"Why should I tell some stinky adult like you?" questioned the kid on the other side.

"Coz I'm not an adult yet, I'm only seventeen," said Sharpner in a matter of fact voice.

"Still too old," commented the kid.

"Just let me in," begged Sharpner.

"I recognise that voice," said another person on the other side of the door, female this time. Sharpner watched as one set of eyes was replaced by another. "You're Gohan's friend aren't you?"

"I am," said Sharpner cautiously.

"Can you come in and try and cheer him up," she said before the door opened allowing Sharpner entry. The other kid watched with a scowl before the door was closed and dead bolted preventing any other entry. A small hand gripped Gohan's as Sharpner was lead through the hallways, numerous eyes lying upon his body as he moved through potential enemy territory. A small wooden door was pushed open revealing Gohan's hunched body sitting on a bed, blood dripping from his knuckles after having created a number of cracks in the stone wall. As the door behind Sharpner closed, leaving only him alone with Gohan, he suddenly felt very afraid. Here he was alone with the once proclaimed nerd boy. While it may have once been all and good, this was a completely different Gohan from the one he had seen at school and even on the camp. At school Gohan had been a quiet person who simply did what he was told without question. On the camp he had become the wildlife expert showing that not all knowledge can be learnt in textbooks. This Gohan before Sharpner now was the most intimidating version he had ever seen.

Gohan's head turned slightly, his cold eyes landing on Sharpner sending shivers down the blonde's back. Although Sharpner could also see sadness in Gohan's eyes, and that was enough for Sharpner to sit down on the bed next to Gohan as he turned his face back towards the ground. Both of them were silent, Gohan hadn't been expecting anyone to find him and Sharpner hadn't actually expected to find him this easily, he had hoped he would have had more time to think this situation over. Strangely enough, it was Gohan who broke the silence.

"Sorry for snapping back there," he said calmly, his eyes not leaving the wooden floorboards.

"Had I been in your position I might have done the same thing," said Sharpner earning a slight chuckle from Gohan.

"If I had been myself then that place wouldn't be standing," Gohan said still laughing slightly.

"Alright, I know about your nerd self, your nature self and your angry self. What self are you talking about this time? Some super powerful hybrid self?" asked Sharpner unaware of how close to the truth he was. Gohan's eyes shifted suspiciously but the movement was ignored by Sharpner as he continued. "So what are we going to do about tonight?"

"You actually in on this now?" asked Gohan in confusion.

"If this was me in your position, I would be thinking of some way to get back at those who had hurt me, and I'm pretty sure it's not the fact that you're not going on the trip which is hurting," said Sharpner slyly.

"That was just the tipping point," said Gohan standing up before he walked over to the door, opening it causing all of the children who were eavesdropping to fall into the room. "Gather up everyone, we have got a plan to form," he instructed which was met with a rush of feet as the kids bolted for their friends. Either that or they were scared of Gohan's bloodied knuckles.

"So what are you planning and how much trouble are we going to get into?" asked Sharpner.

"We'll only get in trouble if we're caught," said Gohan with a cheeky smile. "In that case you have no idea how deep our trouble is going to be."

...

"We've searched everywhere," complained Erasa as she slumped down on a bench with Videl by her side.

"Maybe he just took off into the bushes, if his brother could get here then I wouldn't see how Gohan wouldn't have been able to find his way back home," said Videl thinking it all through. The sun was beginning to set meaning she would have to do this job for Cornelia shortly.

"I guess you've got a point, plus that way he wouldn't have to go all the way back to the city only to come back towards where we are," said Erasa trying to piece the puzzle together. It would be now however when things got a lot more confusing as Sharpner walked past with a bag in his hand. "What you got Sharpner?" asked Erasa curious as to what Sharpner had purchased with his money. She had spent her money on scented body wash much to Videl's bewilderment. Videl had spent her money on a bag of fruit but the girls had dropped their gear off at the hut soon after they had got it.

"Nothing," said Sharpner pulling the bag away from Erasa only for Videl to leap out of her seat and grab the bag. "Give that back," cried Sharpner but his words fell on deaf ears as Videl pulled out a black shirt accompanied by black pants. If Erasa's beauty products confused her then this sent her into utter madness.

"Those don't look your size," noted Erasa completely shattering the mood. Before Videl could start interrogating Sharpner a commotion built up the road grabbing their attention. Sharpner quickly took this opportunity to grab the clothes and bolt in the opposite direction. Videl and Erasa would have given chase but they were curious as to what all the commotion was about.

"Those brats are thieves," the two heard as they muscled their way to the front of the crowd. When they got through they found that the circle had formed around two of Cornelia's guards who were talking to Gohan who was holding a basket with three small children behind him cowering in fear. Videl wanted to yell out but both she and Erasa knew that this was not the time.

"Move out of the way and we'll let you walk out of here unharmed," said the second guard brandishing his baton threateningly. Gohan seemed to pay no attention as he turned around and handed the basket to a young girl behind him. "I'm talking to you!" shouted the guard as he marched forward and tapped Gohan on the shoulder, only for Gohan to rip around with a right hook and crack the guard across the face. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Videl and Erasa's jaws dropped as the first guard rushed forward to avenge his comrade. The guard swung his baton at Gohan's head horizontally but it only hit air as Gohan ducked underneath whilst spinning before using the momentum to trip the guard over. As the guard hit the ground on his back, Gohan had made another revolution whilst his foot had been steadily rising only to bring it crashing down on the man's stomach, knocking every ounce of breath out of him. Without even taking a second glance at his fallen foes, Gohan grabbed the basket off the small girl as the other two children cheered loudly for him before they headed up the hill, the crowd parting as they went.

"Did you just see that?" asked Erasa after what seemed like minutes of silence. Videl had seen it but wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it herself. Part of her wanted to give chase and make Gohan pay for what he had done but she knew that the two fallen guards needed immediate medical attention. Against her better judgement, she decided to stay by the guards' side until help arrived, but by that time the sun had set and Videl was needed elsewhere.

...

**Hope this entices a few more people to review. Please review and I'll try to update soon.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Back for another chapter and I would like to say thank you, DBZ Survival Skills 217 has the most alerts I have ever gotten for a story so far! The good news is that this story is far from over, I'd roughly say is halfway, give or take a few chapters. Alright, a lot of questions are starting to pop up so I'll try to answer them within the story as to not spoil anything later on.**

**If you have any questions, shoot them my way and I'll do my best to answer them without spoiling too much. Anyway...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ.**

**...**

Videl and Erasa walked in silence, knowing all too well that once they started talking on the subject of a certain teenager then it would be the fuel to an incredibly long conversation. That was not what the girls needed at the moment. In the past three days, their views on Gohan had shifted dramatically. They watched him grow and develop as if he was only an infant going from crawling to sprinting in a matter of minutes. The once quiet and shy Gohan had transformed into a determined risk taking character who held no fear. That was one of the things Videl had noticed with Gohan when he had struck the first blow, there was no fear in his eyes.

Videl knew that when someone was outnumbered or out skilled there is a look of uncertainty in their eyes, the more uncertainty there was the easier it showed. Even Videl was frightened at times in situations where one had to be patient and be the one to counter in order to even out the odds. However, when Gohan had turned around and delivered the first blow it was almost as if he was smirking, as if the thought of a fight entertained him. Even when his younger brother had forced him into an unwanted situation, Gohan thought of nothing else but protecting the young boy by putting himself in the line of danger, shielding the child with his own body. Admirable, yes. Stupid, definite maybe.

Then there was the strike itself when it had connected with Gohan. Videl had been there and heard the resounding crack which almost snapped the wood in half but apart from a small wince there had been no other notions that any pain had been taken. Usually when someone was struck they would hold that area in order to relieve it of some pain and stress, especially wounds on the back where the spine had been injured. Gohan however seemed to have recovered almost immediately, brushing off what could have been a major wound as if it was nothing. When he had looked at them shortly afterwards he didn't even look like he had felt anything let alone any real pain. Sure there was instantaneous pain but there was no lasting pain.

"I'll see you later," said Erasa as she went a separate way, leaving Videl outside of Cornelia's office. Videl didn't even realise that they had reached the destination since she had been too deep in thought.

"Alright then," she said, not even sure if her words carried the distance to Erasa. With a deep breath she turned towards the door and turned the handle in front of her. Videl's eyes lifted from the ground as she saw half a dozen people within the small cabin including the two teachers, Cornelia, one of her guards and two police officers, one of which who was sitting behind a laptop.

"Good to see you Videl," said one of her teachers. "Would you be able to enlighten us on the situation which played out earlier with Gohan? I heard that you were there at the time."

Videl looked around quickly and saw that one of the police officers had a notepad in one hand and a pen in the other, preparing to write down all of the important things that she said. Swallowing, she started to explain. "When I got there, Gohan was standing protectively in front of three of the young children who occupy this village as two of your guards advanced on them," she said directing her words at Cornelia. "He then turned his back to them and the guards advanced but Gohan quickly turned around and struck."

"So he delivered the first blow," stated one of the officers as his counterpart quickly scribbled that part down. Videl could only nod, not wanting to repeat those words. "Continue."

"Afterwards the second guard tried to strike him down but he used exceptional fighting techniques in order to disable the enemy," finished Videl.

"For you to comment someone on their fighting capabilities is really something Videl," said the officer writing down the notes. "What did you say his name was?"

"Son Gohan," she answered.

"And you said he had exceptional fighting skills," said the officer to which Videl nodded in agreement. "Has he said much to you about his personal life at school?"

"Not really, every time I try to get him to talk about his family he always turns the conversation another way as if he's hiding something," said Videl. "Only thing which he really leaked out was that he lived in the 439 mountain area."

"Then it looks like this case is going to be a lot more trouble than it's worth," said the officer behind the laptop gathering everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" asked Cornelia.

"There's only one family in the 439 mountain area with the Son family name," he explained with a solemn expression.

"You don't mean..." said the guard as small beads of sweat began to form on his brow.

"What's going on?" asked one of the teachers while the other was deep in thought.

"That boy is the son of a former world champion by the name of Son Goku," explained the officer creating a mixture of emotions.

"Son Goku, one of the greatest fighters of all time," exclaimed Videl as the guard swallowed deeply.

"This could be problematic," said the officer as he began to scribble down more information.

"Did you know this?" asked one teacher to the one who was deep in thought.

"There was a rumour spreading around about it but since nobody had ever seen him fight they all brushed it off," said the teacher. "However, a group of schoolyard bullies were found beaten up behind the gymnasium one day and according to what students were saying they had been badmouthing Gohan constantly. Apparently they had said things insulting Son Goku before the incident occurred. At the time there was no hard evidence that Gohan had been the one to do it but this changes everything."

"It doesn't matter who he is," said Cornelia slamming her fist on the table. "What matters is what we are going to do about the situation."

"Well from what you told me earlier," said the officer flicking through the notes he had written down, "we are looking at taking roughly thirty to forty children to be taken to an orphanage. They are all built up within a single area which is the house on the top of the hill. In roughly fifteen minutes another ten officers will be joining us in addition to the twenty guards who will be assisting in the mission. We will need large holding areas for captured children so that we do not risk overcrowding, as such we will need four vans situated roughly 50 metres away from each wall at ninety degree angles to one another. In between each van we will need five people to ensure that they don't try to escape and we will have them surrounded. The remaining people will infiltrate the place through the main door and eight will take as many as they can outside while the other two will corner them so that they are trapped. In total, the mission will roughly take twelve minutes providing that no main interference occurs."

"That's impressive," said one of the teachers in awe.

"What about this Gohan kid?" asked the guard.

"All men will be equipped with pistols containing rubber bullets," explained the officer. "These bullets won't be strong enough to pierce skin but they will bruise and injure the target. Not only that but Videl will accompany us inside the building so that if hand to hand combat occurs it will be a fair fight."

"The current champion's daughter verse the former champion's son," said Videl, the words exciting her now that she knew of Gohan's past.

"It's settled then, we will begin the mission when the squad arrived," said Cornelia with a smirk ending the conversation.

...

Gohan walked slowly out onto the docks, the black outfit he was wearing making him almost invisible in the dark of night. He stood on the wooden dock, the three ferries in front of him. Preparing to put his plan into action, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled out into the night.

...

**Hope you enjoyed, confrontation is coming. Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I am pleased to hear what you all have to say about the story so far and I sorry to have to burden you with bad news. This will be my last chapter for a while, currently I am struggling to find time to get my thoughts together, let alone put those thoughts into a coherent enough pattern to form a story. As such, all stories will be on hiatus until late February. By that stage I will have moved towns and be preparing myself for another year of university. As a going away present, if you thought the last chapter left you at the edge of your seats, this one's going to knock you off.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

**...**

"Fleeing Nimby?" said Erasa confused as she repeated the words she thought she just heard. She looked around, as if searching for the person who had confused her so and brought her out of her current state of thought. Sadly though, she didn't look into the sky where a golden streak went over head clearly too big to be a shooting star through the otherwise black sky. "Guess it was just my imagination," she mused as she walked towards the wharf towards what could possibly be her most ingenious plan ever.

...

Videl walked towards the central van, still unsure about the whole situation, the fact that Cornelia was missing didn't seem to be helping the cause. The first squadron of men were preparing to move in and they simply awaited the signal with large assault rifles in their hands, something to which Videl was very against as she had been told they were using pistols. "What's the meaning of these?" she asked pointing to the oversized weapons to one of the commanding officers.

The officer sighed as he rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb whilst leaning against a large tree which the van was parked next to. "I'll tell you what I told everyone else who's asked that question, the pistols just aren't accurate enough," he explained.

"Are you trying to maim these children or scare them?" asked Videl, oblivious to the fact that the first squadron was moving in as she spoke.

"Even if it is for intimidation, a child is still more likely to be frightened of something which is larger and fiercer looking than a regular pistol. Even though the rifles pack more firepower, the chances of it maiming them are unlikely. Sure the rubber bullets might draw blood or bruise a muscle but time will heal the wounds."

Videl wanted to argue against the point but all that he had said was reasonable explanations. She stood there silent for a moment before the sound of gunfire could be heard from within the house followed by childlike screams. Videl turned around sharply to see that three of the five men who were initially going to infiltrate were standing outside with another group of five twenty metres behind them, meaning that only two were inside at the moment. "You'd better hurry if you want to see any of the action," chuckled the officer before another smash rang out, this time from a glass window as an officer was thrown out through the wooden planks which barred the window shut. This of course caused a mix of reactions.

"Who would be crazy enough to take on an armed man who is carrying a rifle?" muttered Videl but she knew the answer as there would only be a handful in the world who could do that and walk away victorious, one of which included a former champion's son. "I'm going in," she told the officer running off towards the house as the man barked orders into a communicator on his jacket pocket.

Videl sprinted towards the front door where the men seemed a little bit more nervous than they had been only moments earlier. Videl was the one to take the lead, the armed men becoming a little more courageous with her leading the group. Slowly they stepped through the door into a blackened room, the only light coming in through the broken window and the doorway behind them. Videl quickly eyed the surroundings and saw that there was a second story but it looked like one walkway had been redone multiple times as it was only made of wood and held up by a few wooden poles. It was then that the man behind Videl was struck.

Mayhem ensued as the man drop to the ground, his rifle firing several times before he hit the ground unconscious as he was a little trigger happy. This however caused some screams from the second story which instantly caused the men to look up, a bad mistake on their part as they were struck several times.

Videl turned around and struck out wildly, her foot connecting with the forearm of the man assaulting the men. Videl followed up with a spinning roundhouse but hit only air as the man leapt backwards whilst flipping onto his hands and finished off by flipping onto his feet in the pale moonlight. Videl wasn't shocked as she looked at Gohan, dressed in the black attire Sharpner had bought earlier. She had to admit that it was quite hard to see him since the room was nearly pitch black, that was until the next lot of men came in carrying flashlights atop their rifles illuminating the room.

"There they are," shouted one man as his light shone on the second story where there were three kids doing their best to throw stones down at the men below but to no great effect.

"Come on, let's go," said Sharpner as he hushed the kids along over the wooden walkway, much to Videl's surprise.

"Is he really in on it?" she questioned as half of the men who had come in started towards the stairwell as a few others opened fire at Sharpner and the kids who had to hide behind the railing as the rubber bullets pelted the area around them. Videl turned her attention back to where Gohan had stood to find him missing as she felt the wind as a bullet sped by her. Turning around she saw Gohan attacking the men keeping the kids pinned down but now that he was visible he no longer had an element of surprise.

Videl thought it would be simple taking down Gohan but clearly his father had taught him a thing or two which had once made him a household name. Videl was standing there looking for an opening but Gohan was successfully defending himself from three men who had dropped their weapons as to engage in close combat. Yet still they couldn't land a hit as Gohan drove his foot into one of their stomachs, causing them to double over. Gohan grabbed this man by the shoulders and used him as a spring to give himself some room.

Videl used this opportunity to charge but it was obvious that Gohan was trying to do too many things at once as he shouted orders to Sharpner. "Get them out of here!" he yelled aggressively as men reached the second story with their rifles raised. Sharpner nodded quickly and hurried the kids along since the rain of bullets had stopped.

Gohan had engaged with Videl again but to Videl's displeasure she was outmatched. While neither party was landing a blow, it was mostly because Gohan was blocking her strikes while using openings to attack the other two men which had joined the fray. Videl managed to land a solid right hand to the side of Gohan's face but he brushed it off as if it was nothing as he continued to fight on. Videl tried to trip him as the sound of gunfire opened up on the second story, the men who had gone up now positioned on the wooden platform. Gohan skilfully jumped over the attack and away from the battle as he ran towards one of the banisters holding the platform up. Videl and the two men stared in shock as Gohan unleashed a spinning heel kick on the wooden pole, shattering it in two and effectively causing a chunk of the platform above to collapse, bringing the men on top with it.

...

"What the hell's going on in there!" shouted the commanding officer as he slammed his fist into the side of the van. Grabbing the communicator on his shoulder he shouted, "Break formation, get every man in there to sort out this mess!" Grumbling, he grabbed his own weapon before charging off towards the front door, not noticing the rope above where he had been standing swinging back in forth between the building and the tree.

...

Gohan coughed violently, the dust which had been kicked up from that move filling his lungs. Thankfully, the reaction had been identical for almost everyone else. Looking up he saw one man holding onto the edge for dear life, the walkway having been kicked out from underneath him. He wasn't the only one to notice however.

"Get to the roof, go with the other now!" commanded Sharpner before he turned away from the kids and ran towards the wooden walkway. The man was slowly climbing up and when he had fallen his rifle had fallen a few feet forward. His fingertips extended forward, brushing the barrel slightly but it wasn't enough before Sharpner's shoe connected squarely with the man's forehead, sending him careening towards the ground below.

"Did I just do that?" muttered Sharpner before snapping back into reality, a bullet whizzing past his ear doing the job. Looking down, he grabbed the rifle and aimed it towards the mob entering the front doorway. While Sharpner had never fire an actual gun before, he did hold several records for shooting games at the local arcade. Sharpner pulled down on the trigger, the recoil shocking him slightly as the bullet veered off target hitting the wall a couple of yards away.

"Come on, you can do this," he almost yelled as he pulled the rifle up so that his eye was staring down the barrel before pulling the trigger in periodic sequences.

...

Gohan grunted in pain as another couple of rubber bullets bounced off his chest. In reality they didn't hurt more than an average blow but the pain was concentrated in a smaller area instead of being the size of a fist. Bullets from above however were thinning out the crowd as Sharpner got his eye in and rained a barrage of pain among those below. Since the officers hadn't been expecting any sort of return fire they weren't equipped to take bullets, even rubber ones. Also since they didn't have the pain endurance that Gohan had they were more susceptible to the pain the bullets brought.

"That's enough Sharpner, I'll take it from here," shouted Gohan charging into the fray. The rubber bullets had done their job, confusing the men and forcing them into a state of panic as Gohan delivered blows left, right and centre. Videl quickly shot a glance towards the rafters to see Sharpner running for the hills as a few sole men fired at the individual. Without any way to get to him, Videl turned her attention back to Gohan but it would prove nearly impossible for her to get to him with the number of bodies pilling up around them. Most were still conscious but they were in a mixture of pain and shock, something which none of them had been mentally prepared for.

Gohan threw a final glance over his shoulder to see Sharpner going up a wooden ladder to the rooftop and realised that it was nearly time. Backing away from the group of men a bit, Gohan smiled at Videl before sprinting towards the broken window before executing a perfect diving roll out of it much to the astonishment of Videl and the few remaining men.

...

"Come on, we haven't got much time," said Gohan herding the children into the back of the van which had been parked next to the tree. Each child had used a large rope to swing from the rooftop to the tree before climbing down to the ground below. There was only one exceptionally large child left as Sharpner swung with only one hand as he held the rifle in his other hand only to have the rope break from his weight, sadly it wasn't designed for anyone over twelve. His body only received moderate damage, his fall coming to an abrupt end as his face met the trunk of the tree.

"Damn it," muttered Gohan as he rushed to his friend's aid who was now muttering something about a guy named George who lived in a jungle. "Snap out of it," said Gohan as he gripped Sharpner by the collar with one hand and slapped him lightly a couple of times with the other.

"What happened?" he said before the events of the past twenty seconds came rushing back as pain swept into his face. "Damn that hurts," he yelled as he gripped his face.

"Don't worry about that," said Gohan pushing him towards the driver's seat. "Just get these kids to the docks and get them on a ferry."

"What about you?" asked Sharpner as he opened the van door to find the keys still in the ignition.

"I'll catch up, don't worry about me these kids are more important," said Gohan as Sharpner closed the door behind him as he jumped into the driver's seat, closing the door behind him.

"Alright man, jump on the back and I'll drop you off where you need to go," said Sharpner as he started up the engine. Gohan nodded and ran around to the back of the open van. "Everyone in?" he asked to which he received a unanimous nod. With a sigh of relief he closed the boot and held onto to the handle tightly as Sharpner kicked the ban into first gear. As they began to drive away through the centre of town, Gohan threw a look over his shoulder at the front of the house where he saw Videl standing outside with a few men who shot at the moving vehicle only to miss badly. Gohan couldn't help but smile at the accomplishment they had just achieved as Sharpner wound down his window and fire the rifle into the air.

...

"What's our next move?" asked one of the men who had survived the onslaught to the commander.

"They've got one of the vehicles, no doubt they'll try to head towards another town, get in contact with nearby villages and tell the local law enforcement to be on the lookout for a van of that description," instructed the commanding officer. "This will be a blemish on our record if we don't get this sorted."

Videl just stood there, still amazed by what had occurred. However she didn't totally agree with what the officer was saying. Knowing Gohan he had something else planned.

...

"I'll catch up later, if I'm not there in twenty minutes go without me," instructed Gohan as Sharpner nodded his understanding before putting his foot on the accelerator and speeding down the street. Gohan turned his attention to the door in front of him, a door which blocked him from the only thing he had brought on this journey.

Walking up to the front of Cornelia's office, Gohan didn't bother to look around as he kicked the door in, straight off the hinges. The wooden boards made an awful racket as they hit the ground. Gohan stepped in with the lights on he saw the sword lying atop a desk. He also felt the cold touch of steel in the shape of a cylinder press against the side of his head.

"I've been waiting for you Gohan," hissed Cornelia as a smirk crept across her face.

...

**If that's not cruel I don't know what is. Please review and I shall hear from you all when I return.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I get a kick every time I see those reviews. Thank you all so much, a special thank you to ggf31416 who took the time to explain how exactly Gohan could be minimally injured by bullets in his current condition. The last chapter was the peak in action, for the moment at least. Now that the escape has succeeded it's only natural that the authorities give chase. Let's see how that goes for them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

**...**

"C'mon, let's get on and get out of here," ushered Sharpner as he helped the kids get on the designated ferry. The rifle still hung across his back in case of any immediate danger.

"What about mister Gohan?" asked a young girl half his size.

"He's doing what he can to make sure we get away," reassured Sharpner kneeling down to look the girl in the eyes. "He'll find us when we get out on open water." His voice, while sounding confident, was easy to tell that there was nervousness within. The next voice to speak was not from one of the kids however.

"What are you doing Sharpner?"

...

"Sit," commanded Cornelia using her spare hand to point at the chair sitting opposite to her own, only a wooden desk separating them. Gohan said nothing but the increase in pressure to the side of his head informed him that she was serious. Gohan didn't so much as sigh as he took his seat, Cornelia quickly took hers but the gun's barrel never left Gohan. "Unlike those protective police officers, I'm not afraid to shoot someone with a real bullet."

"You are, otherwise you would have shot me already," replied Gohan calmly, his face not showing the slightest trace of fear.

"Shooting you would only do so much, I's much rather watch you squirm at the bottom of a police cell for the next twenty years, but first I want information," said Cornelia through gritted teeth. "Where are they going?" There was a minute's silence before a loud gunshot rung through the air. Videl heard the shot from where she had been and immediately started sprinting towards the sound. Inside the building though, there was a small bullet hole in the back door as a small trickle of blood seeped out of an incision in Gohan's cheek.

"Don't make me ask again," stated Cornelia through gritted teeth as she adjusted her aim slightly. Gohan remained silent however but his eyes focused intently on Cornelia. "I recognise those eyes," she said calmly. "They are the same eyes that a young boy had when he managed to escape from me many years ago. Isn't that right Gohan?"

Gohan was silent as she continued. "For a period of time you were just a scared little boy as we gathered up you and the remaining kids before something inside you snapped. I watched as you sent one of my men into a van before using your sword to split a pair of handcuffs by the barest of margins. Then before you could attack any others you were dragged away by your friend. Twelve years later you return and once again you defy unbelievable odds in order to protect the innocent."

"What is this really all about?" asked Gohan, who during Cornelia's speech noticed the location of his prized possession.

"I wanted to know if it all children had some sort of breaking point, much like the one you had or whether or not you were individual. I quickly started planning this when your sword was taken off the bus, there was no mistaking it as the one you had had as a child."

"So what's going to happen to the children?" asked Gohan.

"They already have a person willing to adopt all of them, a man by the name of Tao who wishes to utilise their youth to the fullest potential, even if they don't have the same strength as you," proclaimed Cornelia.

"It's clear to see that you see these children as no more than items," said Gohan in disgust.

"My hatred for them is genuine," reassured Cornelia. "Once I took control of the military here I knew something had to be done about them. It was my job to keep the streets safe, not just from invaders but from the parasites within."

"I'm guessing you had a very neglected childhood."

"Well my father was never around and...don't change the topic!" Cornelia all but screamed the last part. The topic never got on track again however as the door burst open and Videl stepped in. Cornelia's eyes shot up to notice the intrusion which gave Gohan more than enough time to strike. He lifted his legs up onto the edge of the desk and pushed forward, sending the desk into the startled frame of Cornelia, the gun dropping from her hand as she tried to relieve the pressure. Gohan quickly leapt out of his chair and grabbed his sword before bee lining towards the door, gently pushing Videl to the side as he did.

"Get out of the way," shouted Cornelia who had retrieved the gun, warning Videl not to get in the line of fire. Another gunshot rang out just before Gohan turned out of sight sprinting as fast as he could down the street. "Follow him," ordered Cornelia as she and Videl stepped outside into the darkness. They spotted him but Cornelia knew not to fire again, people were coming out of their houses to see what the commotion was and if she were to hit a civilian it wouldn't look good. "C'mon," she said started to dash, giving chase to Gohan, Videl by her side.

Videl however had been thrown into the deep end of the pool with no real knowledge of what was going on at the present time. What she had seen however, was Gohan attack Cornelia before running away as if to try and get away. That was all the evidence she needed.

"This isn't the way out of town," Videl shouted to Cornelia as they ran through the streets. "Wouldn't he be meeting the van on the outskirts of town?"

"There's more than one way to get out of this town," cursed Cornelia trying to pick up the pace.

"Isn't there only one road in and out of here?" asked Videl.

"They're not going by road," shouted Cornelia and it suddenly clicked in Videl's mind. They were heading towards the harbour. "Damn it!"

Cornelia and Videl continued to give chase to Gohan who continued to press on at top speed as if not needing to slow down. Videl noticed that there were small patches of crimson blood on the path in front of him, as if to say that they were hunting the wounded prey.

"A boat's missing," said Cornelia as they came to the harbour where the three ferries usually docked. "They've left without him, he's trapped," she added as Gohan continued to sprint down the wooden planks. Cornelia and Videl stopped at the base of the harbour looking at Gohan running adjacent to where they were.

"Is he insane?" muttered Videl under her breath before Gohan took the final stride off the wharf, leaping into the air.

"Now Nimbus!" shouted Gohan as he dropped to the water, only to have the yellow cloud emerge from underneath the wharf where it had been told to wait and prevent Gohan from touching the water. Gohan looked over his shoulder momentarily before the yellow cloud sped up and out of sight leaving the two women shocked.

"Did that really just happen?" asked Videl.

"Don't mention a word of this to the others," warned Cornelia before turning away deep in her thoughts. Videl understood what she meant, if she went around proclaiming that Gohan flew away on a yellow cloud she would be locked in an asylum. Instead she chose to sit there and look out into the open water and try and figure everything out.

...

The children cheered as Gohan stepped off of the yellow cloud and onto the ferry, they didn't have a clue how the Nimbus worked but it looked like a lot of fun. Before they could experiment however it flew off leaving them rather disappointed.

"You got what you wanted," said Sharpner noting the sword on Gohan's back.

"It was more trouble than I thought it would be however," said Gohan indicating his shoulder where the fabric of his clothes were drenched with blood.

"Oh my Kami Gohan, you're bleeding," said a teenage female voice which caused Gohan to turn around awkwardly to see a bubbly blonde young woman.

"Erasa?"

...

**I know I said I wouldn't update for a while but I couldn't help myself. I hope you enjoyed, please review.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Will people stop pointing out little things until they know what they are there for? I wouldn't make Gohan bleed unless there is a reason for him to bleed. Also if a dinosaur scratch can bleed then why can't a bullet? Think about it for a while.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

**...**

Videl walked slowly back to her cabin, still trying to figure out everything that had just occurred. She had let the bad person get away, something that had never happened before. Yet at the same time she was glad that Gohan had gotten away, along with the children. Sure they would have gotten to go to a better home but this was what they wanted. If Videl had done what she had wanted when she was younger she would have moved out of home shortly after her father had defeated Cell. That way, she wouldn't have had to live in the shadow of the man who saved the world.

"I'm home," she announced as she pushed open the door to the cabin, only to find the wooden home barren. "Erasa, are you here?"

...

"Erasa, what are you doing here?" asked Gohan as Erasa forcibly took his shirt off to inspect his wound. The moment his shirt was removed everyone looked at him in awe as they saw his physically toned body. Some of the younger girls poked at his chest to check whether or not it was real. It was a comical sight as Erasa bent down with them to poke at his pectoral muscle. Sharpner had seen glimpses of this form when Gohan had gone for his showers, but having lived with him he now saw Gohan in a different light. Gohan coughed loudly, causing Erasa to focus back on what she was doing.

"Could you go get me a first aid box?" she asked a young lavender haired girl beside her. The girl nodded before running downstairs to find the first aid kit. "It doesn't look too serious," said Erasa inspecting the wound.

"Too serious? Blood's pissing out everywhere!" exaggerated Sharpner. Sure the wound was bleeding pretty constantly.

"What happened?" Erasa asked of Gohan.

"Guess I got shot trying to get away," said Gohan with a shrug. He then saw some of the horrific faces the kids were giving him. With his non bleeding arm he beckoned Marc to come closer. "You want to take the younger kids downstairs so they don't see this, because once we take the bullet out it's not going to be pretty," he said to which Marc nodded in understanding. He, and a couple of the older children, lead the children downstairs.

When the mob had been moved, it left Gohan, Sharpner and Erasa on deck. The young lavender haired girl came upstairs briefly with the first aid kit but left shortly after not wanting to look at the blood. Erasa opened up the case and took a pair of tweezers along with some anti-bacteria wipes and some bandages. "Since there's only the one hole we have to assume that the bullet's still in there," said Erasa. "If we leave it in there then there's a good chance that the wound will get infected then we'll be in real trouble."

"How do you know all this?" asked Sharpner stumped by Erasa's knowledge in this field.

"My grandmother was a field doctor for the army so she told me all the important stuff that I would need to know," explained Erasa.

"Yet at the same time you need to copy my notes in class," remarked Gohan as he got from his sitting position into a laying down one so that it was easier for Erasa to operate.

"It's my grandmother, I'm meant to listen to her stories," said Erasa as she prepared herself. "This is going to hurt a bit so I hope you're prepared."

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Gohan as Erasa went to work. Sharpner had to turn away as Erasa began.

...

"He knew we were coming," said Cornelia aggravated as she paced in the ruins of her office after the police gave their reports. "Not only that but he planned everything to his escape out to counter our own plans."

"Does this mean that the rest of the field trip is going to be cancelled?" asked one of the teachers who had been awoken by the gunfire. After being filled in on the details he was certain that at least two students were going to be getting at least two month's worth of detentions.

"No, we'll keep going as planned," said Cornelia casually regaining her composure. "I think an island getaway would suit everybody at the moment. Also that island is the only thing within five dozen nautical miles, it will be the first place that they will see and no doubt the only place they will go to. They can't risk going further in case of any storms."

"So what do you plan on doing once we get there?" asked the teacher.

Cornelia thought about this a moment before a sinister smirk crept across her face. "I think I better tell the new father of these kids what has happened to his children."

...

"There we are, good as new," proclaimed Erasa as she finished sewing up Gohan's wound, the bullet lying in a small tub.

"Cheers for that Erasa, I don't know what I would have done without you," said Gohan getting to his feet and giving Erasa a thank you hug.

"Just don't get shot again," said Erasa with a scowl, that was one experience she hoped she would never have to repeat again.

"That was disgusting," said Sharpner still barfing over the side from a mixture of seasickness and what he had just witnessed. "So what now Captain?"

Gohan looked around, being the dead of night he knew they couldn't travel too far in a random direction or they would get hopelessly lost. Also they would need to amount some lot of food and water to feed everyone on board and they couldn't rest their chances solely on catching fish. It was then that Gohan saw it. "Head upstairs Sharpner and set a course towards that island," Gohan commanded. Sharpner responded with a salute before heading upstairs into the control room.

"This is like an adventure," said Erasa jumping up and down for joy.

"Speaking of which, how the hell did you get on here in the first place?" asked Gohan.

"Well, I had a feeling I was going to sleep in in the morning so I decided that I would fall asleep on the ferry, that way it didn't matter whether or not I slept in," explained Erasa. "Speaking of which I'm a bit tired now."

"Go downstairs, the kids are probably all asleep anyway," said Gohan with a smile. Erasa gave him one final hug before making her way downstairs. Gohan walked towards the railing, lifting his left shoulder and rolling it around to make sure he still had full movement of the arm. In his other hand he kept a solid grip on his sword, knowing that he was returning to the place he originally got it.

...

**Shorter chapter I know but University has started again. As such, I now proclaim this story on hiatus. This is also due to the fact this is the end of part A of the story. When I come back it will be the star of part B. You'll hear from me soon. Please review.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ**

**...**

"I'm sorry for having called you at this hour," said Cornelia through the phone, a small bit of static in the background of the receiver. Outside of her office window she could see the sun beginning to rise as two men behind her went about placing a new door into the frame, Cornelia having wanted everything to do with the previous night to be fixed as soon as possible as to not have a constant reminder.

"_It is quite alright,"_ replied the mechanical voice from the other side of the line. "_Might I enquire as to the reason you are ringing me?"_

"It has to do with your children," explained Cornelia. "Last night we tried to gather them all up for you but our ploy was thwarted and the children were taken away by another party."

"_Do you know where it is they may have gone?"_

Cornelia let out a quick sigh of relief, thankful that the person she was talking to hadn't gotten aggressive after receiving this piece of information. "They escaped by ferry, it is safe to assume that they have set a course for the nearby island, it's the only place that they could willingly go without risking dehydration or starvation."

"_Couldn't they have travelled somewhere down the coastline?"_

"While that's a possibility I have all nearby coastal towns on lookout for our ferry and as of the moment none of them have reported anything back to me. If any information is received I shall let you know of it immediately."

"_Thank you, if you have heard nothing then I assume that the children will still be located on this island you speak of, do you have any way to retrieve them?"_

"I'll be travelling there today with high school children who are on a camping trip, while there I'll be able to sum up the situation and decide just how many reinforcements I'll need to round them all up," stated Cornelia.

"_Your reinforcements will not be necessary, in three days I shall arrive and help sort out this problem myself."_

"Are you sure?" asked Cornelia. "You don't have to trouble yourself with something like this."

"_I guess you could say that I would like to see how my children survive in the wild."_

"Okay then, thank you for your time," concluded Cornelia.

"_It was no problem, I shall see you in three days,"_ replied Tao as he hung up the phone, leaving Cornelia on the other side of the connection relieved that the talk had gone as well as it had. Placing the phone down on the desk, she breathed the salty air in deeply before she stepped outside, barging past the two workers as she did so. It wasn't often that she didn't look around for any sign of a stray child and even though she knew none of them were around she still had to gaze about more as a force of habit.

"Ah Cornelia, we have a problem," said a nearby teacher as he saw the commanding chief of the town. "We've gathered all of the students together and we're ready to set sail but we're missing a couple of the students."

"Really now?" questioned Cornelia, trying to seem as if this was news to her.

"Yes, Videl informed us that not only was Gohan missing but also Erasa and Sharpner, in fact nobody has seen them anywhere," stated the teacher, growing more frantic with every word. "What if they got injured in the commotion last night?"

"Last night, it was reported to me that Gohan stole one of our ferries," said Cornelia calmly. This of course got a shocked expression from the teacher as the town leader continued. "Since I have seen those three students hanging together quite frequently, I think it is safe to assume that they have helped him get out of town."

"I...I don't know how to take this," said the teacher slowly as this information seeped in.

"If we are correct in assuming this, when we find them I hope that you will punish them severly," said Cornelia to which the teacher couldn't agree more.

"Not only with they be reported for this and face expulsion, I will have them come back here and grovel for forgiveness," said the teacher, suddenly gaining a backbone whilst taking their teaching duties seriously.

"Excellent, now shall we tell the rest of the class to head down to the docks," offered Cornelia who watched with a smirk as the teacher stormed off towards the rest of the students. For the head of Augusta, she was a little worried about what it would be like once Tao got to the island a few days from now, never having actually met the man in person. That being said, she wanted to help him rid the town of its biggest problem and she for one was not going to say no to such a tempting offer.

Videl meanwhile was standing around with her classmates, feeling kind of lost without her bubbly friend standing by her side. It wasn't often that she was seen without Erasa and now she didn't really have anybody she could openly talk to without them trying to suck up to her. So she merely stood there in silence, waiting for the instructions from the teacher as she tried to forget the things that had occurred the previous night. It didn't matter if you were the child of the world champion, as soon as you said that you saw someone fly away on a yellow cloud you were going to be locked away for a long time.

That being said she couldn't help but remember the fight that she had had with Gohan. Even though the teen had been fighting with everything she had had, it wasn't even enough to faze her friend who was able to take on two other men at the same time. Then there was the astounding feat of strength when he had knocked down the support beam with a single kick. Not only was it incredibly dangerous, the possibility of anything falling on top of him was incredibly high, but it also showed how much courage he had. She had seen similar things when he had both protected his brother and the two children he had been with the other day but this was taking things to a completely different level.

Unknowingly she balled her hand into a fist, silently swearing that if they ran into Gohan on this island she would definitely fight him without hesitation, and this time she would win.

...

"Welcome to your new home," said Gohan as the ferry mourned itself onto the beach. Despite Sharpner's sea sickness, Gohan had set a steady course for the other side of the island, figuring that they were less likely to be tracked.

All around him the young children shouted in joy as they climbed off of the ferry and the sand sunk between their toes as water lapped at their ankles. It didn't take long for them to all start playing around, running up and down the beach without a single care. Marc was one of the last of the children to get off of the boat but he too couldn't help but let the feeling of freedom wash over him as he quickly got involved in a game of 'tag.' "Can't forget this," said Erasa from behind Gohan, holding the first aid kit firmly in her hand.

"I don't think I'm going to need a change of bandages for a while," said Gohan.

"Yes you will, your bandages need to be changed daily," said Erasa putting her foot down. "Plus what if one of the kids cut themselves, someone needs to look after them."

"It's as if you're their mother," said Sharpner as he joined the fray. Unlike Erasa who held something relatively peaceful in her hand, he had the rifle that he had obtained the night before. It only had a handful of rubber bullets left but with the amount of firepower that the weapon contained he didn't doubt that he'd be able to kill a rabbit or something similar if they needed fresh meat. He hoped Gohan though was willing to skin the animal, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to do such a thing himself. Thankfully he still had his lighter tucked away in his pocket so they wouldn't have too much trouble with starting a fire.

"Someone needs to look after them," said Erasa with a huff.

"Calm down you two," said Gohan with a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck. "First off we're going to need to find some food to feed everyone here. The kids managed to eat all the rations we had stored so we're going to have to do some hunting and gathering straight away. If you want to stay here and look after the younger kids that's fine Erasa, meanwhile Sharpner will take a few of the older children to go foraging while I go get us some meat."

"So what, you're sending me to go find nuts and berries and stuff?" asked Sharpner, his vocabulary failing him at the end of the sentence.

"These kids need a good balance of food, wouldn't you agree Erasa?"

"Totally," replied the blonde.

"Exactly," said Gohan. "Once we've got enough to start with we can start doing things like constructing fishing rods and whatnot, get ourselves a bit of a base camp going before we explore too far from the beach."

"Alright then, so where are you going to get the meat from?" asked Sharpner, but before Gohan could answer a scream rang forth, quickly gaining their attention. Without a moment's hesitation, Gohan leapt off of the ferry with his sword in hand. Sprinting as fast as he could, he quickly found the source of the terror as a young girl ran towards him before hiding behind his legs. It didn't take long for the thing which had scared her to appear through the bushes, an evil glint in its eye.

"Mister Tiger?" questioned Gohan, the animal resembling his old friend. A brief memory passed through his mind where he recalled having told the animal that he would come back one day and even though that day had taken twelve years to happen he had kept his promise in a way. The animal however was not so friendly in its advances, snarly viciously as it eyed its prey. Gohan couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with the animal he had spent several months with but before he could figure out what had happened his eyes went wide as it leapt forward, the girl behind him screaming as the wild animal bared it's teeth and claws as it prepared to tear Gohan limb from limb.

For the Saiyan hybrid however, several options flashed through his mind before he dropped his sword much to the shock of those watching. As the tiger got close enough however he was knocked out of his flight pattern by a vicious right hook that had the animal bouncing off of the sand, dazed and confused from what had just happened; a single tooth having been hit out of the tiger's mouth now resided in the sand with fresh blood clinging to the base. It got back to its feet slowly before taking off back into the dense shrub, not wanting to be struck by such a blow again.

"Keep track of the kids," shouted Gohan over his shoulder as he picked up the sword, ignoring Sharpner's cries of protest as he gave chase to the animal, determined to find out what had changed so much to make his former ally attack him.

...

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**Been a while, hasn't it. I was stuck writing out my latest scene for another story and just thought that I'd give that one a break and try and do something different, so here we are.**

**Will try to update sooner this time.**

**Peace.**


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